ESI software development supports increasing use of composites in aerospace

This fully integrated application dramatically reduces the simulation cycle time, allowing direct associativity between mould design and simulation results. It also allows the user to perform injection analysis directly on the CAD model, which ensures a consistent geometric dataflow within an iterative continuous improvement process, resulting in significant time and cost savings. "With this application, Airbus is introducing the numerical simulation of manufacturing liquid composite moulding processes. It is seen as a major breakthrough that will help us to remain at the cutting edge of the technology in the composite material field," adds Gilles Debril, Airbus concurrent engineering/composite project manager. In the past, such analysis could only be done in an external simulation environment, forcing the user to export the geometric data and leave the CAD environment. Since the simulation process has now been fully integrated, using CAA V5 architecture and components, PAM-RTM for CATIA V5 presents a common user interface to the designer. Key advantages are the absence of loss of information due to geometry conversion and transfer, as well as the dynamic communication between design and simulation results. Airbus, the international aerospace group, in its new advanced aircraft programmes, is utilising composite materials on a large scale. The use of modern materials and processes is a way to reduce weight, which is the main objective in aeronautics. However, making thicker, larger and more elaborate composite parts generates new technological challenges. With these new materials and processes, it is no longer possible to rely on traditional methodologies only in order to design and manufacture these components. Due to the size of the parts, the traditional trial-and-error approach of tooling manufacturing would lead to unacceptable tooling cost as well as long development lead times and expensive material waste. Simulation-based design is seen as a way to address these challenges in an economical manner.