Why does materials data matter for Abaqus/CAE® users, and what can they do about it? Here are two examples. An Automotive OEM has made major investments in virtual engineering, including implementing Abaqus/CAE so that its analysts have the best available tools to support crash simulation or NVH (noise, vibration, and harshness) properties. But the value of this work could be limited if the input materials data is of insufficient quality. Meanwhile, a major Aerospace organization is starting an Additive Manufacturing (AM) project that is set to generate huge quantities of data: how do they manage this data and use it to optimize new AM processes?
First, the Automotive example. What CAE engineers need is quick, reliable access to approved CAE materials models. Obtaining this information can be challenging and time-consuming, especially for complex non-linear and high strain-rate analyses. But there is also a corporate perspective—the company wants to ensure consistency and traceability. How can they avoid error by ensuring all engineers using materials data are working from the same fundamental material description? How do they ensure that all material decisions and analyses can be audited and, if necessary, reproduced or adapted?
Like many leading engineering enterprises, this company uses GRANTA MI™ to manage their corporate materials information. This includes test data and results of subsequent analysis, for example, to derive simulation models. Thus the full lifecycle for simulation-ready data, and all related datasets, are captured. This can be complemented by a comprehensive library of materials reference data.
Granta works closely with SIMULIA to enable direct access to such materials data from within Abaqus/CAE via the embedded GRANTA MI:Materials Gateway™ app. Analysts get the right materials data, fast, and error-free, with guaranteed consistency and traceability. Users can browse and search their corporate database, find the right models, and import them directly into Abaqus/CAE. Version 5 of MI:Materials Gateway has a new infrastructure delivering a fast, intuitive user experience. Granta has recently worked with several customers to enable support for a more efficient workflow between CAD and CAE.
What about AM, a technology that promises to transform manufacturing—but only if we understand process parameters and their effect on materials, so we can control part performance, consistency, and quality? The Aerospace company in our example has recognised this requires it to capture and mine the vast amounts of data generated by AM projects, much of it material and process data. This raises many questions: what data to retain, how to use it, what is best practice? How are processes audited? Which relationships are critical?
Granta can help answer these questions, by using GRANTA MI to capture, manage, and analyze complete AM process information on powders, builds, machine parameters, and parts. Collating and sharing data between materials scientists, machine manufacturers, and simulation experts is vital for AM. Full auditability and comparison between physical and simulation data (e.g., for and from Abaqus) supports in depth study of parameters affecting part quality.
For more information, visit Granta’s website.
