CAE Driven Multi Disciplinary Optimization of Vehicle Systems and Sub Systems

Fast to market trends among automotive OEM's in introducing new vehicles has resulted in compressed product development time. Now it is fairly common to see CAE driven processes playing upfront role in the concept and advance stage of vehicle development thus adding pace to the Virtual Vehicle Development (VVD). In the recent decade we have also noticed acceptance of optimization driven by CAE models upfront in the virtual vehicle development process. Now a days it is not uncommon to use CAE models for optimization upfront at the advanced vehicle development stage with CRASH and NVH performance objectives. Yet another noticeable transformation happening in accelerating VVD is ability to use morphing techniques on CAE models to bring about design changes or enablers independent of CAD. Ability of morphing tools to make design changes in CAE model parametric adds significant value to the optimization process. Parametric CAE models tied to DoE or direct optimization based techniques help identify the optimal point for interdisciplinary objectives way ahead in the VVD.

This paper presents one such approach of CAE driven multi disciplinary optimization as applied to full vehicle as well as to its sub systems. MeshWorks Morpher developed by Detroit Engineered Products (DEP) has been used to create interdisciplinary parametric CAE models at full vehicle and sub system levels for multi disciplinary optimization (MDO) at advanced vehicle development stage. CRASH, NVH, Aerodynamics, vehicle dynamics and Durability criteria's have contributed to objectives in various measures.