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Toyota has virtualized a significant portion of its calibration and testing process, reducing dramatically the development time and man-hours dedicated to it. Mr. Goh [Project manager, TMC Laboratory Automation System, Toyota Technical Development Corp.] and Mr. Goto [Group Manager, Power Train Company, Engine Management System Development] talk about the benefits of using automated Design Exploration techniques to verify actuator responses and identify the best control values. “It’s easy to find the optimal control value for a single actuator but when looking to improve EGR, supercharging, VTT, direct injection, etc. With the number of actuators and consequently of the output variables and constraints, manually identifying the optimal control values would require a massive amount of time due to measurement tasks.”, says Mr. Goh. ## Methodology To test the engine, temperature and pressure sensors, torque and fuel consumption (gauge) meter and exhaust gas analyzer are installed and the control systems are implemented accordingly. The combined software iTEST and ORION – the automated control and measurement system for engine bench test implemented at Toyota – manages the controls equipment and collects the output from each instrument. These values are then validated by checking the reference maps. The complexity of the calibration procedure is streamlined by including modeFRONTIER for Calibration (mFC) in the process, directly integrated with ORION – that is used for automatic measurements. This replaces all the manual measurement tasks conducted at the engine test bench (laboratory) and relieves the team from the burden of the repeated iterations between the “design room” and the “laboratory”, where now measurement, modelling and accuracy evaluation can be automatically repeated. “To understand the output trend and find the optimal solution with experimental points, we used mFC to create a Design of Experiment, measure data, train and compare metamodels (RSMs). The next step of the process consists in determining the optimal Engine Control Units maps and finally test again on the real engine.” “mFC succeeds in reducing the difficulties experienced by calibration engineers when using tools for model-based calibration by providing a dedicated graphic interface to directly set parameters, lower and upper bounds. mFC automatically generates designs and RSMs, then iteratively evaluates the accuracy levels and stops the evaluations when the target model accuracy is reached.” Mr. Goh says. Since real engine test is influenced by the variability of control variables and by measurements error, sometimes the combination of temperature, pressure and torque cause the stop of the testing for safety reasons. ## Benefits By using a visual filter in mFC, this issue is easily identified and the DOE is automatically substituted with a more suitable dataset. “In any case, during the evaluation, it is easy to stop mFC and change the DOE. Given certain scenarios, with this technique we can reduce the number of evaluation by 50%” Mr Goh says. This method empowers the system engineering process by adding the capabilities of simulation and automation in the right side of the V-cycle, the experimental evaluation phase of the Verification and Validation model, where is hardly used. ESTECO modeFRONTIER technology has been widely used in the engine modeling phase, in combination with GT-SUITE. Mr. Goto says that by reciprocally using optimization result as continuous feedback between the design and testing phases, there is great potential for further accuracy improvement. “By performing optimization with real engine data, we can leverage the efficiency and accuracy gained during the testing back in model design. Thanks to the common use of both data and models, designer and calibration experts can work together and further improve our operations” concluded Mr. Goh, stressing collaboration among experts as a major benefit of this technology.

ESTECO and Enventive Engineering Inc. present the integration of modeFRONTIER, Enventive®, and Ansys Workbench to optimize the shape of an electrical connector. ​In this webinar Alexander Duggan ( Senior Application Engineer, ESTECO) and Kristin Dawson (Product Manager, Enventive Engineering, Inc.) demonstrate using Enventive® to analyze variation of the forces and friction between a pin and connector, coupled with using Ansys Workbench to determine the stress in the connector as it is deflected by the pin. By integrating Enventive® and Ansys Workbench, modeFRONTIER can optimize design parameters to ensure that the pin insertion force and contact reaction force fulfill design requirements while ensuring that the stress in the connector component does not exceed the yield strength of the material. Agenda: ANSYS Workbench for finite element analysis (FEA) Enventive's force and dimentional variation analysis modeFRONTIER integration with Enventive and ANSYS Workbench

​In this webinar Alberto Clarich (Technical Manager, ESTECO) presents the modeFRONTIER 2016 approach of dealing with uncertainties is based on Multi-Objective Robust Design Optimization (MORDO). This consists of investigating the noise factors in the neighborhood of a sample design with a given probability distribution. While tackling optimization within manufacturing process, engineers face uncertainty with regards to design variables and problem parameters from various sources. These uncertainties impact the optimization process both in terms of reliability and in terms of robustness. Using modeFRONTIER, this case applied a multi-objective optimization algorithm to optimize mean values while minimizing their variations. Highlights: Theory and real world applications about Robust Design and Polynomial Chaos Efficient methodologies for large number of uncertainties Robust Design Optimization and Reliability-based Optimization

​In this webinar Alberto Clarich (Technical Manager, ESTECO) and Giulio Cassio (Application Engineer, ESTECO) demonstrate how modeFRONTIER provides new advanced features for project complexity handling: a dedicated panel for workflow setting (Workflow Global Properties), the Design Space Node, the improved Subprocess Node and many more. Watch it and learn how: Automate the execution of complex chains of preprocessing and simulation tools with modeFRONTIER. Take advantage of the very flexible workflow and the wide range of direct integration nodes for the most popular simulation tools. Optimize your design choosing among of innovative algorithms to determine the set of best possible solutions combining the complex set of opposing objectives.

This webinar, cohosted by ESTECO and Ansys, demonstrates the benefits of using the new integration between Ansys HPC Parametric Pack and modeFRONTIER 2016 by presenting the results of two industrial application in the automotive field. Why watching this webinar? This webinar give insights on how to better leverage company's private cloud or HPC systems for faster simulation analysis. The case studies will show how to make the use of computational resources more efficient and save time with the joint use of the newly released modeFRONTER 2016 and ANSYS WB HPC Parametric Pack, that will make design optimization projects execute faster.​ ​​The first application was developed by BorgWarner Morse system and EnginSoft, dealing with the optimization of a tensioner arm. The second case study is aimed at improving the design of heat exchangers and part of an EU funded project, OptimHex.

​This webinar presents a smart combination of modeFRONTIER with the PowerFLOW Suite.​​ ESTECO and Exa integrate their software platform to serve the automatic creation of highly accurate RSM models purpose. The combination of the adaptive sampling of the new modeFRONTIER ASF algorithm and the Exa's high-performance simulation and visual flow analysis tools leads engineers to an enhanced understanding of trends seen in the generation of new design options. Watch this webinar to learn more about: A smart filling strategy of ASF perfectly to create automatically of highly accurate RSM models purpose. How CFD analysts and designers can fully exploit the advanced prediction capability of Exa's PowerFLOW and obtain high-fidelity simulation of real-world flow conditions without compromising geometric detail for a smaller number of significant and better performing designs.

In this webinar, Danilo Di Stefano (Product Manager at ESTECO) and Alberto Clarich (Technical Manager at ESTECO) demonstrate the newly added RSM Trainer Node, and how to combine it with the innovative Adaptive Space Filler (ASF) and other analytics tools in modeFRONTIER. RSM-based optimization is an excellent strategy to manage heavy simulation processes: by acting as surrogates of simulation models, RSMs let engineers fast-run the classic optimization process. Why watching this webinar? This webinar give insights on the advanced RSM capabilities included in modeFRONTIER Discover the new automation of RSM training and learn how to re-use the model both for the same workflow and other projects​​ Find out how the new Adaptive Space Filler combines state-of-the-art space filling strategies with the predictive ability of response surfaces. Get to know two real-world case studies leveraging modeFRONTIER RSM capabilities

​In this webinar ESTECO, TASS International and Jingwen Hu from the ​University of Michigan, as guest speaker, present the successful integration of their technologies to optimize a rear-seat restraint system considering a diverse population.​​​ Together they will present a project where the rear seat restraint systems was optimized for 6 to 12 year-old children, adults and infants through sled tests and computational simulations leveraging the integration within MADYMO and modeFRONTIER. Watch this webinar to learn more about: The integrated use of MADYMO and the optimization platform modeFRONTIER​ How modeFRONTIER and Madymo helped the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute biosciences group simultaneously improving the rear seat occupant protection for all age groups.

How ESTECO’s first Brazilian customer optimized the largest semi-submersible platform in the country Last year Petrobras, a state-owned publicly traded Brazilian multinational energy corporation headquartered in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, launched their P-55 offshore platform, which was initially sized using modeFRONTIER. In order to tackle the complex problem of multiple variables, constraints and objectives, as well as a desire for a rational approach to the design process, Petrobras turned to modeFRONTIER to help them with the optimization study. ## Challenge Defining the main dimensions of an offshore production platform is a complex problem due to the many variables that can influence the behavior of the platform, including: deck area, deck weight, subsea systems interface, stability issues and wave-induced motions. The dimensioning process is affected by many constraints imposed by more stringent motion requirements, construction and assembly considerations, as well as by the draft limit of shipyards. Ultimately the goal is to reduce to a minimum the vertical wave-induced motions which can cause fatigue damage to the steel catenary risers (the pipes which bring the oil from the seabed to the platform) ## Solution Dr. Mauro Costa de Oliveira, a naval architect at CENPES, the Petrobras Research Center in Rio, and the first user of modeFRONTIER in Brazil, used the software to integrate the hydrodynamics analysis tool, WAMIT, and CENPES’s own stability software, SSTAB. He then went on to run an optimization study in which modeFRONTIER varied 5 key geometric parameters of the platform with the objective of minimizing, subject to numerous constraints, vertical motion of the platform due to wave loading. During the study, the structure was analyzed for multiple conditions: quayside, transit and in operation with 2 different wave load conditions. Using one of modeFRONTIER’s genetic algorithms to drive the search process, Dr Costa de Oliveira was able to identify the designs which met all the constraints, and from among those to select the configuration with the lowest riser vertical motion. The feasible region (ie the part of design space where all constraints were respected) is very small - to identify this region without the help of a tool like modeFRONTIER would have been almost impossible. The final design is shown in Fig. 2. ## Benefits “modeFRONTIER - Dr Costa de Oliveira says - proved to be invaluable in helping us to address the complex problem of selecting the main dimensions of a deep water floating production system, where there is potentially a huge number of alternatives to be evaluated. The software allowed us to rationalize our approach to the problem and conduct an automatic search, driven by a genetic algorithm, which quickly identified the best design which met all constraints. The post-processing tools also proved to be extremely useful for the conceptual phases of the design of a deep water floating production system”. In January 2014 the P-55 began operation in Brazil’s Roncador field at a site where the depth of the seabed is 1,800 meters. At 52,000 tons and 10,000 square meters in size and displacing 105,000 tons, the P-55 is the largest semi-submersible platform built in Brazil and one of the largest of its kind in the world; it is capable of processing 180,000 barrels of oil per day , compressing 6 million cubic meters of natural gas per day, and injecting 290,000 barrels of water per day.

In this webinar ​ESTECO and BETA CAE present the successful integration of their technologies to optimize the weight and the angle of attack of a Formula 1 front wing through a two-step approach​. Roel Van De Velde from ESTECO and Dimitrios Drougkas from BETA CAE Systems S.A. illustrate a project where a remarkable improvement in a Formula 1 front wing through ANSA / μETA pre- and post- processing suite​ and modeFRONTIER optimization analysis was achieved. Watch this webinar to learn more about: modeFRONTIER enhanced optimization and integration features ANSA / μETA​ advanced features How to integrate the software solutions and benefit from joint analysis​