Category: aerospace design

5 Trends in the Aerospace Industry

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The global aerospace industry is undergoing significant changes due to innovation and digital transformation. These changes focus on improving propulsion, autonomous system, additive manufactured parts, and maintenance, repair, & operation (MRO). These trends add complexity to the flight system which can be addressed by using multiphysics simulation solution. Read below to gain in-depth about these evolving trends of Aerospace Industry:

Use of Electric and Hybrid Engines to reduce Flight Costs and Emissions

The future aircraft engines need to output more power, produce less noise, consume less fuel, and emit fewer emissions. In order to achieve this, the aerospace industry is working on improving the efficiency of combustion engines and exploring electric and hybrid propulsion systems. This enhancement in the aircraft will directly reduce the flight costs as well.

Autonomous Flight System

Autonomous drones are the future of the aerospace industry. Many companies are building a business case for local air transportation called urban air mobility (UAM). The idea behind UAM is to build an autonomous flight system.

Maintenance, Repair, and Operation (MRO) will depend on Simulated Data

The increase in the number of aircraft is helping MRO market to grow steadily. The simulated data can be used to predict the performance and functioning of aircraft. Therefore, it will help the industry to understand better, and predict, how systems are performing. 

Additive Manufactured Parts

Additive manufacturing parts combined with topology optimization and can help engineers to simplify maintenance, save fuel, and make the supply chain more efficient.

Use of Multiphysics Simulation Solution

Multiphysics simulations solution will reduce complexity and minimize risk in the Aerospace Industry. It will help in predicting how the aircraft systems will react in the real world.

All in all, virtual realities and multiphysics simulation are the only solutions to test the future aircraft systems and to predict how these systems will react to possible situations in the short timeframe.

Nasa’s 2020 Mission: The Mars Helicopter

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NASA is working on its next mission to launch a helicopter to the Mars. The project is scheduled in July 2020. The project is in the development phase at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) since the year 2013. Some of its features are:

  • The Mars helicopter will weigh around 1.8 kg and will be designed to operate in the planet’s extremely thin atmosphere.
  • Earth, being several light minutes away, the helicopter will be highly autonomous.
  • It will receive and operate on the commands from the ground to share information.

The Mars helicopter is a high risk- high reward project and if successful, it may open new opportunities in interplanetary exploration.

What’s new in Ansys 19?

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ANSYS 19 is also known as the Next Generation Pervasive Engineering Simulation technology. With the expanding digital world and growing data, companies are struggling with the pressure to improve performance to deliver high-quality products within a limited time. ANSYS 19, is designed to empower such engineers and professionals to contribute to the overall productivity. The enhanced capabilities of the technology aim to produce accurate results. Here are some of the many features that will support Pervasive Engineering Simulation.

3D Design

ANSYS 19 now introduced the new 3D design family of products.

  • The package includes a real-time simulation environment that is developed to help engineers explore their designs and concepts.
  • The CAD modeling capabilities of the ANSYS Discovery SpaceClaim now have new assembly configurations.
  • Some of its supporting exploded views help engineers generate more efficient designs.

The technology helps to build upon topology optimization so that users can observe live progression to solve steps and make informed decisions.

Embedded Software

ANSYS 19 now has powerful capabilities to carry out tasks. These tasks include:

  • Workflow integration
  • Performance and usability
  • A fully certified embedded software with a Human-Machine Interface (HMI) and
  • Design capabilities

The technology is also supported by some dedicated solutions for automotive and avionics system and software. Added features here included capabilities for multi-rate application designs and enhanced HMI design capabilities that comply with ARINC 661 and that qualify for ISO 26262 and DO- 178C.

Electromagnetics

With the new technology, engineers can now design wireless, electrification and autonomous technology. The improved features of the technology include radar cross section analysis innovative electronic machine design, integrated electro-thermal analysis, and also a design kit to offer enhanced user experience with all the electromagnetic field simulation tools.

Semiconductors

To meet the growing demands of the next generation computing capabilities, which is not only automotive, but also is mobile, and delivers high performance computing through the advanced system. The technology thus demands products that are bigger, faster, and more complex. The simulation environment offered by ANSYS 19 delivers a platform that is more comprehensive, enabled for Big Data and capable of solving different design attributes such as thermal properties, power noise, performance and reliability across the spectrum accelerating your product success.

Systems

ANSYS 19 offers some of the most powerful capabilities in two crucial work areas:

  • System simulation for battery management design and deployment
  • Functional safety and analysis to use across all safety-critical industries

ANSYS 19 now has some enhanced features to help engineers easily model the complete design of a battery management system. Another add-on, ANSYS Simplorer helps the engineers to simulate and test the entire system after design and development. ANSYS 19 expands the functional safety analysis across all industries.

SOLIDWORKS 2018 Debuts

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SOLIDWORKS is back again in the year 2018. The package has some added tools, enhancements and features to give you a completely new experience. Right from the welcome screen, the application has new and improved data management capabilities, integrating CAM feature along with some other innovative functionalities making it again your best design partner.

Pen and Touch-Enabled Devices: The application supports new touch-enabled capabilities. This is one of the most significant changes that came with SOLIDWORKS 2018. Now, you can make sketches using a touch-enabled pen. The application even supports customized mouse gestures making it more user-friendly and interesting to use.

Adding Granular Details: SOLIDWORKS 2018 has come up with new capabilities to work with assemblies such as Adding Mates Between Hidden Surfaces, Misaligned Mates, and Smart Explode Line Tool. The application has also introduced a new Tab and Slot feature for the sheet metal design. Now you can create the inspection documentation directly from 3D models.

CAM Integration: The most promising feature that SOLIDWORKS 2018 brought about is the CAM integration. The feature is called SOLIDWORKS CAM and works as a new application. The capability leverages CAM technology which is pretty interesting software in itself. Such integration will automate the entire manufacturing programming.

Enhancing the Complete Cycle: SOLIDWORKS 2018 comes with an integrated approach that works with your product right from design to manufacturing. This is done by putting the part or the assembly model in the Centre of the action. The concurrent collaboration capabilities of SOLIDWORKS 2018 keeps the data well managed so that you can create a design using manufacturing strategy across the product development workflow.

Ease in CNC Programming: The application has come up with new part and assembly machining, a 2.5 axis milling, and two-axis turning features. Such a feature is capable to make CNC (computer numerical control) programming less time consuming and simple.

Automating the Manual Inspection Process: The revised version of SOLIDWORKS has automated inspection capabilities. This feature helps you to save time skipping the manual inspection process. Dassault now claims that the 2018 version can carry out the article inspection process and generate reports in minutes.

Dealing with the corrupted files: If your repair attempts fail to resolve a corrupted file, SOLIDWORKS 2018 now prompts you to extract your geometrical details if data about the body is still intact. You can use this extracted data to create a new model.

Four Key Advanced Manufacturing Technologies Used in Aerospace

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Advanced Manufacturing technologies have become one of the most important parts of the Aerospace industry. This is because of the unique challenges that the aircraft designers deal with. The aircraft designs need to consider the environmental conditions using strong materials that are both lightweight and temperature resistant. Such designs require micro and Nano- machining techniques. Here are four advanced machining technologies that are used in the Aerospace industry.

Additive Manufacturing  

The Aerospace industry was quick to identify the benefits and potential of Additive Manufacturing to design its planes. The technology uses Power-Bed laser printing systems to build its most components. Additive manufacturing technology is used to build structures that work within the fuselage with features such as reduced weight and reduce heat. An additive manufacturing technique, commonly known as the Fused Deposition Modeling, is used to create semi-hollow parts of the aircraft wings by both adding strength and reducing weight.

Composite Materials

Composite materials are widely used to design aircraft. Aerospace engineers prefer using these materials because of their favorable characteristics of flexibility, strength, temperature and chemical resistance. Composite materials and advanced polymers in the design help to improve performance and reduce lifecycle costs. These materials also reduce the overall weight of the aircraft cutting short their fuel consumption and carbon emissions.

Robotics

Robots are used in the aerospace industry to manage the labor-intensive process, particularly when lifting and handling tasks are to be done. The industry is using powerful robots in its manufacturing plants to move and join aircraft parts. Robotics is also taking care of manufacturing process that is hazardous to people such as painting and welding.

Laser Beam Welding

This technology offers rapid and high precision work as compared to the traditional welding techniques. Laser welding is, therefore, a preferred solution for handling materials when repeatability and high accuracy is required. The most advantageous property of this technique is that it transfers very little heat to the material that is welded. This way it does not create a heat affected zone around the weld, ultimately not compromising the strength and performance of the material.

With the widespread use of these technologies, the aerospace industry has also inspired several other industries to use these technologies in the manufacturing process. These techniques have undoubtedly simplified the manufacturing processes and reduced costs to a greater extent. Their accuracy and precision have reduced the number of failure points in the manufacturing process.