|
In today's design engineering and product development workflows,
the use of computer simulation for design and analysis is quite widespread.
With faster processors, better visualization and improved I/O performance,
engineers are able to use computers to better effect in solving complex problems
quickly and easily. For example, one can analyze the structural performance of
the landing gear of an aircraft using FEA or model air flow over an airplane
wing during takeoff using CFD. One can also create products entirely on the
computer from initial modeling to analysis and manufacturing.
Though these are welcome developments for the engineering
community at large, the need for validated design methods against which
engineers can confirm the accuracy of their computational models and analyses
has never been greater. Industry standards such as the ASME BPVC are one
resource for such detailed guidelines and methods. Reference texts like Roark's
Formulas for Stress and Strain are
well-accepted in industry and are very useful. Companies also have their own
internal design practices and methods in many cases, but these are proprietary
and not accessible to the larger engineering community. There is a wide set of
design problems or areas for which proven and accepted methods are not readily
available.
IHS ESDU addresses this gap by making information verified by
experts in industry and academia accessible to companies and individuals in
different industries. The types of resources that ESDU provides include design
methods, best practice guides, material and test data and software tools. For
instance, ESDU contains more than 300 analytical and empirical tools to solve a
wide range of aerodynamics problems. A specific example is a design tool for
estimating excrescence or parasitic drag which can be used to determine the
drag related impact of an attachment such as an antenna or a maintenance patch.
Similarly, there are 1500 or so other design topics where ESDU methods and
information provide invaluable insight. Here is some additional
information on how ESDU helps engineers.
We would like to use this blog to discuss such design/engineering
contexts and how engineers solve problems and make decisions.
What do
you think? Do you have an easy time finding the validated design/engineering
information you need?
| 
Re: The Need for Validated Design Methods to Complement Computer Simulation
