The Engine Research Center (ERC) at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, a leading institution in the study and application of internal combustion (IC) engines, faced significant challenges in grid generation for complex IC engine geometries. These complexities included valved intake and exhaust ports and intricate details like piston/liner crevices. The ERC's work involves the application and development of computer models for simulating flow and combustion in IC engines, with each engine model requiring a computational mesh to solve the turbulence, chemistry, and flow equations that define their problems. As government emissions standards become stricter, the need to incorporate more physics into simulations and more geometric details into the grids has increased. The second major challenge was performing grid resolution studies with these geometrically complex grids once they were built.

Astrobotic Technology, Inc. faced a significant challenge in designing the structural components of the Tranquility Trek spacecraft. The components comprised of aluminum and lightweight composites, where carbon fiber was bonded to aluminum honeycomb to form a high-strength yet lightweight sandwich material. The layered construction and anisotropic properties of the sandwich required specialized pre-processing tools to accurately represent the fiber direction of every layer of carbon. Additionally, specialized post-processing tools were needed to predict sandwich failure. The company also had to consider random loads during launch. Astrobotic needed to test multiple spacecraft configurations under launch conditions to select and refine the best design in a cost-effective manner.

Robopac, a leading designer and manufacturer of stretch wrapping machines, was facing a significant challenge with its existing product, Rotowrap. The product was constructed as a metal box with numerous welding seams, which posed potential reliability issues during the rotation of the wrapping arm. The complex design of the Rotowrap was also more costly than competitors’ products. The company was under pressure to develop a new product that was of higher quality, performance, and reliability, but at a lower cost. The challenge was not only to innovate but also to ensure that the new product was more durable and less costly than the existing one to maintain competitiveness in the industry.

Bioana, a company dedicated to the design and development of medical technology, faced significant challenges in the biomedical engineering field. Before a medical device could be implanted in a patient, extensive testing had to be conducted to determine its lifespan, the optimal material for fabrication, and the stresses it must withstand. For instance, prostheses had to be designed to endure the loads generated by body motion and weight, without failing or significant deformation. Similarly, vascular stents needed to supply optimal blood volumes with predetermined flow rates. Evaluating the performance of these and many other medical devices was crucial, and simulation was a key tool in this process. However, the traditional methods of testing were time-consuming and costly.

Robo-Technology GmbH, a company that specializes in the planning, development, design, manufacturing, and programming of automatic robotic systems, faced a significant challenge. They were tasked with developing an ultrasonic testing system for helicopter parts, which could be up to 6 meters in length. The system required two synchronized 6-axis robots to carry out fast testing movements with high dynamic precision and synchronization. This demanded the highest construction standards, posing a significant challenge for the company. The complexity of the task was further compounded by the need to ensure the rigidity and vibration behavior of the system met the customer's demands.

The Engine NVH Analysis Section at Ford Motor Company is tasked with providing CAE NVH design analysis support to various programs. The types of analysis performed include engine component and assembly modal & vibrational response analysis, engine component and assembly radiated noise analysis, crank/block dynamic interaction analysis, air intake system NVH analysis, and exhaust manifold radiated noise analysis. However, with program timing being regularly compressed, the demand for quick turnaround on design analysis is constantly growing. As the finite element models become larger, they tend to drive the analysis time longer. This creates a need for quick FE models that accurately represent the structures, with the smallest number of degrees of freedom being an absolute necessity. The parts that need to be meshed can range from simple stampings to complex castings of cylinder heads, blocks, and manifolds, to even more complex multi-piece composite intake manifolds.

RF2ANTENNA, a company specializing in wireless communications and charging, faced a challenge in designing a customized wireless charging system for wearable electronics. The traditional approach of experimental design was deemed time-consuming and costly as it required building different size coils and creating a measurement setup. The specific needs of wearable devices necessitated a custom design, which called for engineering simulations for a reasonably short, cost-effective design cycle. The challenge was to find a simulation software that could integrate a circuit solver with the electromagnetic solvers, to optimize the coil design process.

India's growing population has led to an increased demand for power. To meet this demand, the country is looking towards renewable energy sources. CSIR-Central Mechanical Engineering Research Institute (CSIR-CMERI) has developed aesthetically pleasing solar cells, known as 'solar artifacts', in the form of umbrellas or trees. These solar artifacts can be placed in commercial or public spaces, providing power while maintaining the space underneath for productive or recreational uses. However, these solar artifacts needed to be designed to fit into the available space and withstand a range of wind speeds depending on their location. The challenge was to ensure that these artifacts would be strong enough to resist damage over a range of wind speeds without sacrificing their aesthetic design.

Cities in the northeastern U.S. were exploring the installation of new combined sewer overflow (CSO) treatment units using an advanced hydrodynamic vortex separator (HDVS) with a self-cleansing screen, such as that produced by Hydro International. Traditionally, HDVSs have been used as high-rate solid–liquid separators; only recently has their potential use as contact chambers for high-rate disinfection of CSOs been realized. Conventional disinfection of CSOs, using mixed basins, requires contact times of around 15 minutes. However, a report demonstrated that these systems provide effective high-rate disinfection at contact times of only three minutes. While the shorter contact times could save up to 50 percent of overall project costs for municipalities, regulators still expected to see longer contact times based on performance requirements of older systems. The challenge for Hydro International was to understand the basis for the shorter contact times and validate that high-rate disinfection is an acceptable alternative to longer conventional disinfection methods.

Vaughan Co., a leading manufacturer of chopper pumps, faced a significant challenge in developing process mixing installations for wastewater treatment. The goal was to minimize 'dead zones' in the tank where solids could collect, as these solids decrease active volume and reduce process capacity. However, on-site process optimization was impractical due to the unique nature of each installation. Additionally, model testing for each installation was not only expensive but also offered limited information and could be unreliable due to scale-up issues. The company also faced difficulties in achieving convergence in numerical simulation of tank flows using conventional CFD solvers, due to the nature of the flow, which included large variation in length scales and low velocity.

The United States Marine Corps was set to roll out a new Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle (EFV) by the end of the decade. This hybrid tank/boat was designed to carry 20 personnel over both land and sea at speeds of up to 30 miles an hour. However, the EFV contained an environmental control system (ECS) that was not up to the mark. The ECS, essentially a high-performance air conditioner, was supposed to keep the cabin air at a comfortable temperature even when outside temperatures were as high as 125º Fahrenheit, while operating quietly enough to pose no risk to the crew’s hearing. The initial prototype failed to meet these standards, leading to a re-bid process. Fairchild Controls Corporation won the re-bid and was tasked with improving the ECS unit’s airflow and minimizing operational noise, all within a strict budget and a tight deadline of 14 months.

Comatec Oy, a company providing engineering services for the industrial machinery sector, was facing several challenges in their product design and optimization process. They were dealing with complex projects from customers that presented complicated boundary conditions, loadings, and nonlinearities. The company was struggling to efficiently import 3-D models from various CAD applications into simulation tools. They also had to handle large assemblies with many configurations, which was a complex task. Evaluating stress, vibration, and fatigue for mechanical and thermal loadings was another challenge they faced. Additionally, they needed to quickly obtain and report results to customers, which was proving to be time-consuming and inefficient.

In the rail industry, hardware testing is a costly and time-consuming process, often limited to research and development at the Masters and Ph.D. levels. This level of detail is often unnecessary and cost-prohibitive for typical railcar manufacturing. However, as more railcars are phased out due to service age, there is a growing demand for new railcar designs. Freight transit by railcar is favored by many companies due to its low cost per high volume shipment. A new customer of BNSF Logistics LLC (BNSFL) requested a stress analysis on their covered hopper design. When it became clear that significant structural changes would be needed to meet the Association of American Railroads (AAR) requirements, the customer requested a larger scope of work beyond FEA verification. BNSFL was then tasked to deliver both the modified CAD design and supporting stress analysis. The success of the project depended on simulation to demonstrate the railcar’s structural integrity.

Voith Turbo Scharfenberg, a leader in the railway industry, faced the challenge of designing railcar couplers that could absorb the enormous energy created by a train collision, thereby enhancing passenger safety. The energy absorption systems had to meet specific standards and were required to function effectively not only during heavy impacts but also during smooth train operation or minor impacts. The components of the absorption system, particularly the rubber elements, undergo large deformation during a collision, making the simulation of these hyperelastic materials a challenge. Additionally, the specific nonlinear force-path characteristics of the absorption elements had to be met. The design assessment based on simulation of different collision scenarios was necessary to optimize the coupler and its energy absorption characteristics.

ISGEC Hitachi Zosen Limited, a leading manufacturer of complex pressure vessels and heat exchanger equipment, was faced with the challenge of utilizing the maximum temperature capability of materials for the design of structural components in the oil and gas sector. The current ASME code (Section VIII, Division 2) limits the generation of fatigue curves up to a maximum of 371 °C. However, manufacturers wanted to use ASME Code Case 2605, a special rule for fatigue evaluation of 2.25Cr-1Mo-0.25V steels at temperatures greater than 371 °C and less than 454 °C. The challenge was to carry out full inelastic analysis, such as ratcheting elastic shakedown analysis, using the actual time-dependent thermal and mechanical loading histograms. The existing methods of treating plasticity and creep as two independent phenomena in stress and strain calculations using spreadsheet-like applications were subject to human error and could lead to unrealistic damage parameters.

Epta, a global leader in commercial refrigeration solutions, was facing challenges in evaluating and validating the performance of multiple refrigeration system designs under various working conditions. The increasing global engineering trends necessitated a deeper understanding of physics and large-scale simulation efforts. The traditional methods were not efficient enough to deal with these demanding requirements. The need for a robust, fast, and convenient environment, especially during production peaks, was evident. The challenge was to find a solution that could provide a flexible configuration to manage multiple projects simultaneously without compromising on the speed and scale of simulations.

Royal Philips Electronics, a global leader in the electronics industry, faced a significant challenge in the development of its Ceramic Discharge Metal-halide (CDM) lamps. The primary challenge was to create a lamp design that was both thermally and mechanically robust, capable of lasting a specified lifetime. To achieve this, accurate simulation of the gas discharge, wall temperature, and mechanical stresses were required. The complexity of these factors made it difficult to develop a lamp that could meet the high standards of durability and longevity that Philips aimed for. The challenge was not only to create a lamp that could withstand the rigors of use but also to understand the intricate interplay of various physical factors that could affect the lamp's performance.

The global hearing aid market is becoming increasingly competitive due to an aging population and higher life expectancy. In this environment, medical device manufacturers need to bring advanced products to market quickly and without incurring additional costs late in the development cycle. However, many companies deploy their engineering resources late in the development process to address design and manufacturing problems prior to product rollout. This approach often results in vital engineering resources being used to fix design problems rather than designing products that better meet customer needs and critical design requirements the first time. Oticon, a manufacturer of hearing aids, realized the value of engineering simulation and used it to design and validate key components of its devices. However, to become a global leader in innovation and stay ahead of the competition, Oticon needed to apply simulation to all the components interacting in the product, requiring a scalable, systems-level approach to design.

Dunham Associates, a mechanical and electrical engineering consulting firm, specializes in developing facility designs that maximize energy savings and optimize the indoor environment for building occupants. The company is committed to sustainable design and works closely with its clients to achieve facility goals. One of the challenges Dunham faces is designing effective complex mechanical ventilation systems for large new-construction commercial office buildings. Many of these projects seek Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification and incorporate innovative underfloor air distribution (UFAD) or displacement ventilation systems to deliver improved indoor air quality (IAQ) and thermal comfort to the building’s occupants. The ventilation system design must be optimized in terms of providing performance as well as energy efficiency.

Schlemmer GmbH, a leader in cable protection systems, faced a significant challenge in testing the stiffness and deformation behaviors of their cable protection hoses. These tests, which include bending and crush tests, are crucial in determining the hose's ability to withstand combined tension, bending, and mechanical compression. However, these tests required the production of expensive prototypes, which was not cost-effective. Furthermore, the simulation of large deformations, material behavior, and nonlinear contact of the hoses required robust nonlinear capabilities. The company needed a solution that could provide valuable information early in the concept phase of a new product to reduce the number of prototypes required.

With the boom in connected vehicles and the increase in the range of models, customers’ needs and requirements have evolved significantly. One example is the desire to integrate lighting systems into door handles. For automakers, light plays an essential role in practicality and comfort, but it also contributes to the visual signature of the vehicle by differentiating brands and making them recognizable.

Electro-Motive Diesel (EMD), the world’s largest supplier of diesel-electric locomotives, was under pressure to develop the SD70ACe locomotive that meets high standards of performance, reliability, fuel economy, crashworthiness, and operator comfort. The locomotives are expected to operate economically and safely for decades under harsh conditions with minimal downtime. Durability of components undergoing repeated fatigue cycles was a major concern, as most units log more than 1 million miles during the first six years of operation and have a useful life of nearly 30 years, with some major components lasting more than 50 years. Achieving these goals while shortening the development cycle was particularly challenging due to significant time and cost factors associated with running physical tests on such large, complex machines.

The University of Colorado Health Science Center's cardiology research engineers were seeking to gain a deeper understanding of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), a condition characterized by persistently high pressure in the vessels that transport oxygen-poor blood from the heart's right ventricle to the small arteries in the lungs. Over time, the increased load due to PAH can lead to premature heart failure and death. The current clinical methods for diagnosing and evaluating PAH are invasive and only consider the mean flow rate and pressure drop across the vasculature. The challenge was to simulate transient hemodynamics and arterial motion, which required a solution for the coupled solid and fluid domains. The geometry definition was derived from medical imaging, and the constitutive modeling of the vasculature was complex due to hyperelastic materials and complex constraint relationships. Additionally, the fluid boundary conditions could not be simply characterized.

Murray Inc., a global manufacturer of outdoor power equipment, was faced with a significant challenge. The company had a narrow window of opportunity to get its new product, the Power 2 Steer snowthrower, into production before losing business from one of its strategic snowthrower retailers. The Power 2 Steer featured a unique steering system that required a new clutch assembly, the effects of which on stress and deflection levels needed to be evaluated for various components and subsystems throughout the snowthrower. This included the drive shafts, bearings, subframe, and the sheetmetal main chassis. Designing these components for the necessary strength was critical to ensure adequate fatigue life of components without adding prohibitive cost and material. The tight product development schedule left no room for numerous physical prototype test cycles.

Hi-Tech Outsourcing Services, a leading architectural engineering construction (AEC) and industrial services provider in India, faced a challenge in the design of computer storage racks. These racks, used to mount servers or desktops, must provide structural support for computers and comply with Bellcore testing standards, the most common set of safety, spatial, and environmental design guidelines applied to telecommunications equipment. The challenge was to ensure compliance with these standards while also meeting the increasing demand for quick turnaround during product development. The company needed to develop products using fewer prototype tests to deliver a faster time to market, all while ensuring the racks could withstand seismic tests.

Energomash Group Enterprises, one of the largest manufacturers of power equipment in Russia, faced a significant challenge in their operations. The company, which is engaged in developing and manufacturing equipment for various types of power stations and pumps, as well as operating their own gas turbine plant and developing electric and thermal energy, needed to improve their mesh generation process. The requirements for this process included the construction of qualitative mesh structures that could be adapted for the specificity of the investigated process, integration with the CAD system, and a reduction in the time required for mesh structure construction for typical problems.

KTM Technologies was tasked with the development of the KTM X-Bow, a unique super sports car featuring a monocoque made from carbon composites materials. The monocoque, the external skin of the vehicle, provides structural support, marking it as the world's first production car with such a feature. The challenge lay in the use of carbon composites, which, while ideal for their lightweight and high strength properties, presented engineering complexities. The process of engineering composites designs from concept to simulation and manufacturing included countless opportunities for engineers to choose materials, fiber orientation, manufacturing methods, and layup arrangements. The KTM X-Bow monocoque was to be manufactured using over 300 pre-cut composite plies, adding to the complexity of the task. The challenge was to address these complexities in composites engineering to develop one of the world's most exciting and modern sports cars.

The Central Artery/Tunnel Project, also known as 'The Big Dig', was a massive undertaking in Boston, Massachusetts, aimed at replacing the Interstate 90 roadway. The project involved constructing a new seven-mile, 8-10 lane roadway and various interchanges, most of which were to be built 70 feet beneath the city. However, the project posed significant challenges due to its proximity to some of the largest and oldest buildings in downtown Boston. One such building was the One Financial Center, a 46-story office building located just 25 feet away from a 100-feet deep excavation for the tunnel. The building's owners were concerned about the potential effects of the excavation on the building's stability. The excavation process involved a 'de-watering' step, where water was removed from the dig site and surrounding soil. This could cause the ground to compress, potentially leading to building settlement, structural stress, and damage.

KeelWit Technology, a Spanish engineering company, was tasked with creating a vertical wind tunnel with the tallest wind chamber in Europe. The challenge was to analyze a complex aerodynamic environment and design an energy-efficient tunnel that delivered the best experience for their customers. Vertical wind tunnels are large and complex, making the creation of physical prototypes for each design change prohibitively expensive and time-consuming. The simulation of variables such as air pressure, heat loss, and wind velocity required large meshes and intensive computer calculations. KeelWit sought to scale out from their on-premises workstations to high-performance computing (HPC) resources in the cloud.

Engrana, a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and thermal analysis consulting firm, faced a significant challenge in preparing customer-supplied geometries for analysis. Clients would typically provide CAD files of solid geometry, which often contained many details that were not relevant to the flow analysis. The process of de-featuring and simplifying the solid geometry, as well as decomposing the geometry to produce high-quality hex-dominant meshes, was a complex and time-consuming task. Before the introduction of SpaceClaim, the responsibility of geometry de-featuring was primarily left to the clients, making the cleanup process a difficult and iterative task. Furthermore, clients often wanted to explore the sensitivity of the CFD solution to geometrical changes, which required a tool that could easily incorporate these changes with minimal effort.