CAE-Mastermodels - the cornerstone of synchronised structural virtual engineering in a global environment

摘要

Modern vehicles are engineered in a highly collaborative environment. Vehicle architectures are shared across continents, system suppliers are highly integrated, and development tasks are distributed across diverse engineering centres. But in spite of all interfaces generated by this, the development of vehicles is required to be accomplished in ever shorter timeframes with higher quality. This general trend is especially true for CAE. Hence strategies have to be found how to overcome the potential problems. For CAE-Modelling, this requires a set of common standards across engineering centres that are well accepted by the customers - the functional simulation groups, combined with high quality data input by the CAD design community to the simulation process. In order to achieve exactly that, GM installed a global focus group concerned with modelling. This group is responsible for setting standards for especially the synchronised Mastermodels which are a basis for all structural simulations within the virtual engineering process, ranging from model structure, naming and numbering conventions to specific sub-system modelling guidelines. In addition, the modelling group at Opel has started to utilise the CAD program UG NX and standard PDM - Teamcenter functionalities to prepare the model generation as much as possible, allowing high automation of the subsequent meshing and assembly process. This paper highlights the most important strategies enabling efficient and collaborative CAE - modelling.