HyperWorks CAE Process Automation Accelerates Product Development at Scania

• Application Infrastructure & Middleware - Middleware, SDKs & Libraries
• Sensors - GPS

• Automotive
• Specialty Vehicles

• Product Research & Development

• Indoor Positioning Systems
• Virtual Prototyping & Product Testing

Scania, a leading global manufacturer of heavy trucks, buses, and other heavy-duty engine applications, is known for its ability to highly customize its products. This customization process, however, posed a significant challenge for Scania's computer-aided engineering (CAE) departments. The engineers had to rapidly verify a large number of different variants with finite-element (FE) simulations. Automating the entire virtual model assembly process was a major goal for Scania. The process, which included tasks such as positioning hundreds of components, creating contact definitions, and building part connections with pre-strained bolts, was time-consuming and prone to error. In the past, Scania analysts used fully automated solutions, without the capability for user interaction during execution. This lack of automation interactivity often required Scania CAE analysts to manually modify and improve the truck input models, further adding to the time-consuming process.

Scania CV AB is a Sweden-based leading global manufacturer of heavy trucks, buses, and other heavy-duty engine applications. The company is known for its ability to highly customize its products, offering a large number of engine models, transmission systems, and chassis for customers to choose from. This allows customers to greatly individualize their trucks. In 2006, Scania distributed a total of 65,000 vehicles in Europe, Latin America, Asia, Africa, and Australia.

To build an automated process that also allowed for user interactivity, Scania chose the HyperWorks CAE framework. This framework offered several technical advantages including native computer-aided design (CAD) support, meshing tools for advanced solid geometries, a comprehensive solver-neutral data model for easy conversion into various formats, automation capability through HyperWorks’ process automation engine, and the ability to interactively manage assembled FE models prior to job submission. Based on the HyperWorks framework, a semi-automatic pre-processing manager was developed to meet the chassis department’s special modeling requests. This application performs tasks such as reading CAD libraries and automatically selecting appropriate files, monitoring the FE and geometry libraries, positioning components to their correct location in the chassis, cutting holes in geometries/meshes to prepare for bolt connections, and generating “spider connections,” solid bolts with pre-tension and contact definitions.

• The implementation of the HyperWorks CAE framework at Scania resulted in a more consistent CAE process. The automation of the virtual model assembly process not only increased simulation efficiency and robustness but also allowed for user interactivity. This meant that Scania CAE analysts no longer had to manually modify and improve the truck input models, saving time and reducing errors. The new process also increased flexibility during product development and CAE modeling, which is especially critical to Scania’s truck-customization process.

• Improved quality of FE models
• Reduction of development cycle time as a result of the automated process
• Increased flexibility during product development and CAE modeling