Peregrine Consulting, Inc. was tasked by the U.S. Air Force to investigate the feasibility of performing real-time stress and life analysis of jet aircraft engine turbine components based on as-flown conditions. This approach, known as condition-based maintenance (CBM), aimed to provide a reliable prediction of remaining component life for individual aircraft engines by analyzing as-manufactured information and measurable data from each flight. The challenge was to manage a vast amount of information, including the ongoing condition of engine parts, key data on aircraft performance, engine parameters for each flight, and analysis results. The analysis models were extremely large, with millions of degrees-of-freedom requiring lengthy solution times. Furthermore, the simulation involved numerous complex, multi-attribute effects such as frictional contact, stress stiffening, and large deflections of parts.

Kawa Engineering Ltd. was faced with the challenge of locating a powerhouse close to a waterfall for a client in an area with minimal flood risk. The stakes were high as any occurrence of flooding in the powerhouse would result in significant costs. The ideal location would not only mitigate the risk of flooding but also reduce the need for additional components to protect electrical equipment such as generators, turbines, and switch boxes. Furthermore, the right location would determine the cut and fill required for construction, thereby conserving construction resources.

Team Penske, a leading name in American motorsports, faced a significant challenge when they decided to enter the Indy Racing League (IRL) on a full-time basis. The IRL has stringent rules that govern the construction of cars competing in the league. The design team, led by Technical Director Nigel Beresford, had to work within very tight body-design criteria and were limited in what they could change. Major alterations were impossible as competing cars had to use chassis from one of three manufacturers and the same gearbox. Adding to the complexity was the time factor. There was only a five-month window between seasons, and the car had to arrive at the first race tested and ready to win. The design changes were also very restricted during the off-season, and the cars had to be ready by January for testing. The team had no time for back-up plans or mistakes and had to get the design right the first time to give the team optimum performance.

The U.S.D.A. Forest Products Laboratory, a leading wood research institute, was facing challenges in accurately determining the thermal conductivity of wood, a critical factor in the wood drying process. The conventional equations used for this purpose, developed over 50 years ago, only provided a rough guideline for certain types of wood. This led to lumber mills and wood processing companies having to perform costly and time-consuming trial-and-error tests to determine the proper temperatures and drying times, often resulting in high scrap rates. The heat transfer coefficients of wood depend on many variables including ring density, tree age, initial moisture content, and cell orientation. These characteristics are usually not uniform across all sections of the same tree, with wood structure affected by seasonal weather differences. Furthermore, ring density in small versus large-diameter trees varies widely depending on growth rates for different conditions such as surrounding vegetation and climate.

The commercial fan market has been shifting from large custom-designed fan systems to more standardized factory-manufactured units. In response to this trend, AcoustiFLO aimed to develop an efficient small centrifugal fan that could be marketed as a standardized, modular component suitable for packaged air handlers. The concept for this small fan consisted of a centrifugal impeller housed in a vaneless diffuser. However, optimizing the static pressure efficiency of the unit required simultaneous optimization of both the impeller and the diffuser due to their interaction. The engineers at AcoustiFLO found that physical testing was not only cost prohibitive but also failed to provide the necessary insight into the airflow for design improvement. The less powerful CFD software they had been using for simpler design tasks lacked the power to analyze the turbulence and rotational dynamics in the impeller.

Champion Elevators Inc., a Texas-based leader in the design and installation of rack-and-pinion driven elevators, faced the challenge of redesigning cost-effective, yet safe elevators that conform to the stringent building and electrical codes of the high-rise construction industry. The company had to ensure that their elevators met two different sets of standards - regulatory building and electrical codes, and safety standards that are essentially physical properties. After almost three decades in the business, Champion Elevators knew that conformance to building codes was a must. Given the obvious risks, engineers at Champion ran every job through analysis. Assuring safety and conformance to the codes and regulations fell into two very different types of engineering analyses. Safety assurances of the elevator — essentially measuring maximum stresses and ensuring adequate safety margins — was handled with ANSYS DesignSpace® software for finite element modeling and finite element analysis (FEM/FEA) from ANSYS Inc.

Segway LLC, the company behind the innovative Segway Human Transporter (HT), faced significant engineering challenges in the development of their product. The Segway HT, a two-wheeled, self-propelled scooter, was designed to revolutionize personal transportation. However, the device's compact design required the integration of numerous hardware and software components into a small space. This complexity presented significant challenges for the Mechanical Integrity group at Segway, who were tasked with ensuring that the device's features and functionality conformed to specified performance criteria. The group faced particular difficulties with the Segway HT's chassis, which had to accommodate the weight of an operator up to 250 pounds, house the device's motors, batteries, and electronic components, and be lightweight. The complex geometric configurations of the design made standard mechanical analysis techniques ineffective or extremely difficult to conduct.

Plantool Oy, a leading production automation company in the Nordic countries, faced significant challenges in its operations. The company specializes in tailor-made special machines, standard circular saws, system solutions, and production lines for metal industries. However, the custom nature of their machines did not allow for prototypes. Each new order posed a major risk as the initial creation had to be the final product, necessitating perfect design from the outset. Additionally, these special machines often had to be designed from scratch, requiring a flexible design and simulation process. The use of existing 3D models for simulation was crucial, but the company lacked an efficient system to facilitate this.

Emhart Glass Research Center, a leading international supplier of equipment, controls, and parts to the glass container industry, was facing challenges in their bottle creation process. The Center, which focuses on developing enhanced glassforming methods, increasing automation and improving yields, was struggling with the complexities of heat, fluid, and air issues in their modeling process. Senior Mechanical Engineer, Pierre Ngankeu, was tasked with performing multi-physics analysis on design concepts, with a focus on fluid dynamics and heat transfer during the molding process. However, the modeling and pre-processing were time-consuming, often taking days for each simulation. Pierre had to work with foreign CAD data, deal with meshing and density issues, and create the flow domain before analysis. Additionally, there was usually not a lot of data available for many of the processes, adding to the complexity of preparing models for simulation.

Culligan Matrix Solutions, a leader in water treatment, faced a significant challenge in developing a new water softener. The company aimed to create a device that used less salt than any other product on the market, minimized water pressure losses, and utilized the least amount of material possible. This ambitious project required a delicate balance between hydrodynamic performance and structural integrity. The R&D team needed to employ both fluid dynamics and structural mechanics simulations to achieve these goals. The challenge was not only to meet these stringent requirements but also to do so in a cost-effective and time-efficient manner.

Mirage Machines, a manufacturer of portable machines for various industries, was facing a challenge in their design process. They were using detailed structural simulation at the front end of the design process to ensure the robustness and risk-free nature of their solutions. However, the Finite Element Analysis (FEA) simulation they were using, SolidWorks® Professional and Premium packages, had limitations. These packages only allowed Mirage to conduct FEA on single parts and small assembly models. A recent project required the development of a gantry that used a series of magnets to attach steel rails. The initial design was to be base metal, but the requirement changed to include a layer of paint. This change introduced an air gap, reducing the magnets' pull force by 40 percent. Mirage needed to understand the impact of the paint thickness on the pull force of the magnets and the integrity of the structure as the arms moved along the base rail.

The Metal Building Insulation (MBI) industry was facing a challenge in revising insulation performance standards. Owens Corning, a leading member of the MBI industry, recognized the need for developing thermal performance factors for MBI assemblies. The task involved numerical modeling of three-dimensional flow and heat transfer problems in insulation assemblies used in the metal building industry. The geometries of these assemblies were complex, including several materials with different thermal conductivities and narrow pockets of air where natural convective currents could potentially form. Even slight variations in the overall heat transfer rates could have a significant impact in the long run. Therefore, the roof-insulation fastening mechanisms had to be carefully designed for optimal performance.

In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, one of the deadliest hurricanes in the United States, Mechanical Solutions, Inc. (MSI) was subcontracted to increase the capacity of a pumping station in flood-prone New Orleans. The challenge was to evaluate the vibration responses of the platform during the operation of high-power mechanical equipment. During major weather events, these high-power pumping units must work at full capacity to drain excess water out of sub-sea-level areas. The heavy equipment produces vibrations and other stresses that can cause the massive platforms supporting the equipment to fail. MSI engineers faced numerous challenges in assessing and addressing design problems of the partially submerged pumping station platforms. All design issues had to be identified and addressed before any construction began, and the project needed to be completed prior to the onset of the next hurricane season.

TNO Prins Maurits Laboratory (TNO-PML) is a renowned institution in the field of defense research, providing scientific and technical advice in areas such as explosion safety, munition effects, ballistic protection, and survivability of weapon platforms. The laboratory combines experimental facilities with numerical analysis capabilities to deliver high-quality research. However, the challenge lies in the application of these research findings in real-world scenarios. The main applications of their research tool, AUTODYN, include terminal ballistics, injury biomechanics, safe field storage of ammunition and explosives, effects of bomb attacks and explosions onto structures, explosive materials processing, and mineblast modeling. The challenge is to effectively utilize these applications in a way that enhances the safety and efficiency of defense operations.

The development of onshore wind farms requires a detailed understanding of how prevailing wind conditions interact with local terrain and potential wind turbine installations. Many of the software programs currently in use are not well suited to complex onshore terrain where factors such as atmospheric stability, forestry, and turbine interactions play a significant role. The accurate prediction of wind conditions including wind speed, wind shear, wind veer, and turbulence intensity both under ambient and waked conditions is vital for intelligent project design. The challenge lies in finding a solution that can accurately model these complex wind climates and optimize turbine placement to maximize energy yield and minimize risk.

Holcim (Brazil) S.A., a leading global supplier of cement, aggregates, and concrete products in Brazil, was facing a challenge in the regulation of particle size used in creating cement. The size of these particles can significantly affect the efficiency of the cement production line. The company was seeking technology gains that could reduce operational costs and increase production efficiency. The challenge was to replace the expensive and time-consuming trial-and-error testing of separator performance with computer modeling. They also needed to simulate and classify the particles’ paths as a function of particle diameter to consider possible improvements that would increase separation efficiency.

Elecon Engineering was faced with the challenge of developing a reliable gearbox that meets market demand. The complexity of gear mechanisms, which transmit rotation and torque between axes in a machine, presented numerous technological problems. To achieve high load-carrying capacity, reduce the weight of gear drives, and increase the strength of the gearbox, engineers had to carry out gear-tooth stress analysis and perform tooth modifications to optimize gear drive design. Performance parameters such as tooth bending, surface distress, and tooth deflection were contributing to gear tooth failure. The challenge was to evaluate gear tooth performance quickly, regardless of construction material and manufacturing processes.

Delphi, a global leader in mobile electronics and transportation components, faced a significant challenge in the design of their automotive engine control modules (ECMs). The ECMs use silicone rubber spacers in the shape of truncated cones to ensure thermal or electrical contact between different components. These spacers press the integrated circuit (IC) against metal heat sinks to provide a conduction heat transfer path to cool the circuitry. Determining the force exerted by the spacer is critical to the design of the module. Insufficient force would not adequately cool the IC or properly secure it, resulting in premature failure due to overheating or excessive shock and vibration. Conversely, the force cannot be set too high because of constraints in the ECM housing and printed-circuit board. The challenge was to accurately represent the elastomer material so spacers could be designed to provide an optimal force against the circuit board.

The Biomedical Engineering Center of Wayne State University has been conducting research in impact biomechanics and automotive safety for over six decades. They are a leading institution in the development of finite element models of the human body. These models are used to understand injury mechanisms during automotive impacts and help design countermeasures. They are also useful in orthopaedics biomechanics to understand in-vivo loading. However, due to the use of explicit finite element codes, the typical meshing objective is a high-quality fully hexahedral mesh that respects minimum element size criteria. The anatomical complexity and irregularity of shapes make meshing a critical task in the development of these models. The team typically meshes bones and organs, with geometrical data reconstructed based on medical imaging (MRI or CT scans).

AMOG Consulting, a specialist service provider to various sectors including marine construction, government organizations, and offshore oil and gas, was facing several challenges. The company needed to accelerate the simulation-to-design process in a high-technology multidisciplinary engineering environment. They aimed to improve quality by utilizing one 3-D CAD model for all engineering disciplines. The company also wanted to provide clients with more robust and advanced designs within their budgets. Another challenge was to create a bridge between CAD hydrodynamic, fluid dynamic, and structural simulations. The need for a streamlined process was evident to meet industry demands for a more robust and optimized product.

Hatch Mott MacDonald (HMM), a leading North American consulting engineering firm, specializes in the design of underground ventilation systems. One of their key areas of expertise is the prediction of fire and smoke movement in these systems. The challenge they faced was the comprehensive modeling and design analyses for existing tunnels and transportation facilities from a fire/life safety and ventilation perspective. The objectives were to provide good environmental conditions for users during normal operation and safe conditions for evacuation in emergency modes. Fire and smoke modeling required a consideration of turbulent, buoyant, chemically reacting flows and a need to assess tenability conditions, based on visibility, temperature, and toxicity. However, physical measurements in such large structures rarely led to an understanding of the subtle thermal mechanisms that control the environment.

The Grand Central Terminal (GCT), a principal hub of the MTA Metro-North Railroad, faced a significant challenge in ventilating its trainshed, one of the largest underground structures in Manhattan. The trainshed, which occupies 2.5 million square feet, was designed long before the advent of air conditioning, and the widespread use of air-conditioned equipment added waste heat into the facility. The existing ventilation, provided by sidewalk grilles and a few small vent shafts, was insufficient for the large area of the trainshed. During summer months, ground level temperatures were typically 15 degrees Fahrenheit above ambient. Previous attempts to improve ventilation had been costly and ineffective. Hatch Mott McDonald (HMM), a full-service engineering firm, was contracted to conduct a preliminary study using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) to understand the current ventilation conditions and the impact of changes made in recent years.

Delta Marine Industries Inc., a leading megayacht builder, faced a significant challenge in meeting the high customization demands of their clients. The company's clientele, purchasers of 100-foot plus megayachts, expected the ability to highly customize the interior design of their yachts. This demand for customization, particularly the freedom to place walls or partitions wherever desired, created structural design challenges by increasing the complexity of the load paths. The non-alignment of pillars made it difficult to determine how loads would distribute across various structural elements. Traditional design methods were inadequate due to the highly nonlinear and difficult to discretize load paths. Furthermore, Delta Marine was tasked with building a megayacht that not only had a luxurious interior and high cruising speed but also optimized weight and structural elements for strength and vibration resistance.

EADS Innovation Works, a leading global aerospace and defense company, was faced with the challenge of reducing the weight of aircraft parts to achieve cost savings and meet green transportation goals. The load introduction rib (LIR), a critical part of an aircraft’s wing flap, was a particular focus. The aerodynamic loads are transferred through the LIR onto the wing, and engineers needed to analyze the wing flap under conditions of a jammed flap mechanism. This load scenario traditionally required a detailed model of the flap mechanism. To evaluate the failure criteria of a composite LIR, engineers at EADS Innovation Works used an ANSYS Composite PrepPost model and a shell model, and compared the accuracy and workflow efficiency with a traditional solid model.

Turbomeca, a leading producer of helicopter engines, was facing challenges in developing the embedded software that runs the control system for each engine family. The model-based design approach they adopted used simulation tools for rapid prototyping, software testing, and verification. However, this approach required time-consuming manual coding, which could potentially introduce coding errors and inconsistencies between the code and the model. To keep pace with new innovations in helicopter technology and to remain compliant with DO-178B/C standards, Turbomeca needed tools that would help them code more efficiently, reduce errors, and improve code management.

DePuy Spine Inc., a leading supplier of orthopedic spinal implants, has been striving to improve the behavior of total disc replacement implants, particularly the CHARITÉ artificial disc. This three-piece articulating device is designed to eliminate pain and maintain motion of the operative segment, offering an alternative to spinal fusion surgery. However, understanding the effect of implant placement within the disc space on the loading of the facets, known to generate pain when supraphysiologically loaded, posed a significant challenge. Traditional studies involving cadaveric testing with strain gauges and pressure sensors were time-consuming, expensive, and often inconclusive. The company needed a more efficient and accurate method to understand and optimize the performance of the CHARITÉ artificial disc.

FEDCO, a leading designer and manufacturer of advanced high-speed liquid-driven turbochargers and centrifugal pumps for reverse osmosis desalination services, was facing a significant challenge. The company's main market is the supply of high-pressure pump and energy recovery equipment for seawater desalination. With water shortages and growing energy costs, the market was growing rapidly, attracting major international competitors. To sustain its growing market share, FEDCO needed to develop larger and more efficient models of its established hydraulic energy recovery units. However, the expense and time involved in building and testing large prototypes were not acceptable. The company had less than four weeks to develop a highly optimized fluid design before committing to final pattern and casting designs. The main challenge was that FEDCO had just one chance to get the hydraulic and casting design right, so every resource was devoted to that objective.

Hutchinson Technology Inc., a global maker of disk drive suspension assemblies, was facing a significant challenge in the precision of motion of the head suspension assembly in hard disk drives. The airflow-induced vibrations were increasing the uncertainty of the position of the slider, which is crucial for data transfer to and from the disk. This issue was particularly critical in high-speed drives where airflow vibrations were strong and reduced the accuracy of the head assembly. Additionally, in high areal-data density drives, the data track spacing was very fine and small suspension vibrations could significantly reduce drive performance. The company's goal was to meet customers’ increasing requirements for speed, capacity, and reliability and to maintain its market position in producing complex suspension assemblies.

Liebherr-Werk Ehingen GmbH, a leading manufacturer of mobile cranes, faced a significant challenge in their quest to maintain their market and technological leadership. The company needed to develop and market new innovative products and components, as well as increase the workloads of the cranes by leveraging all available technological possibilities. This was crucial to stay ahead in a competitive market and meet the evolving needs of their customers. Additionally, they were also tasked with optimizing their methods and processes to decrease design and analysis time. This was necessary to improve efficiency, reduce costs, and speed up the time-to-market of their products.

Audemars Piguet & Cie, a luxury watch manufacturer, faced a significant challenge in the design and manufacturing of their high-precision watch components, specifically the date display mechanism. This mechanism, which changes the date every 24 hours, needs to advance the date in a way that appears instantaneous to the human eye, usually within 0.015 seconds, and must reveal the correct next date. This is achieved through a complex assembly of a jumper, spring, and trigger cam to rotate the display disk exactly one date step. Traditionally, these fine watch mechanisms were designed using prototyping, a costly and iterative process. While simulation could reduce the need for prototypes, the precise and flexible components within the watch mechanism’s dynamic system required extremely accurate nonlinear dynamics capabilities to characterize correctly.