Cavitation

Flow visualisation of a cavitating hydrofoil as part of a preliminary test validation study for a large numerical and physical research project.

VPS - New Performance Challenges

Water flow product image

Water Flow

Water flow simulation is revolutionizing the way cars are tested. Now, you are able to simulate real driving conditions in order to detect potential leaks or test how rain will affect a driver’s vision, well before the car is in production. Furthermore, water management is becoming essential in the development of new car models, for instance in preventing water related issues for electric and autonomous vehicles.

In regards to sealing design, ESI’s Virtual Performance Solution (VPS) water flow module offers a unique predictive solution accounting for the complete seal system from seal positioning and rubber pre-stresses, to fluid structure interaction. Engineers can now choose the best rubber material for the entire temperature range early in the development process and determine the acceptable tolerances to avoid hazardous water leakages inside the vehicle’s cabin. Anticipating such issues and finding a solution early in the car development process lead to time and cost savings.

Main Benefits:

  • Predict potential water leakage in real driving conditions and the origin of water leaks before car production
  • Address specific problematics of electric and autonomous cars, related to water intrusion on a wet road or in heavy rain
  • Improve safety and driving comfort by ensuring good visibility in the rain
  • Improve crash test prediction with fluid structure interaction capability applied for tank sloshing

Read the full story of EP Tender using the waterflow simulation module for their innovative electrical car equipment.

Interior acoustic

Virtual car inside a virtual anechonic chamber

The CO2 reduction constraints keeps the automotive industry constantly striving for lighter, quieter and faster cars. Acoustic trim is also impacted by those requirements. It is therefore mandatory to be able to anticipate acoustic behavior before prototypes are available to get the right design the first time.

Noise levels are influenced by a combination of the intensity of the sound source, the acoustic properties of the material specifications in the transmission paths, and the acoustic behavior of the cabin, which all contribute to the occupants' acoustic experience.

Based on the software combination of Virtual Performance Solution and VA One, ESI’s Virtual Prototyping Solution for NVH allows engineering teams to complete acoustic analysis for all the frequency range. ESI’s Virtual Prototyping Solution for NVH can perform weight to cost optimization of interior sound package and damping treatments; diagnose airborne and structure-borne sound transmission through trimmed body structures and propose the relevant countermeasure for acoustic’s design.

Read also information about VA One.

Durability

Durability evaluation can be particularly challenging. It encompasses not only materials and loading of the product but the full history of the product manufacturing (stamping, casting, heat treatment) and assembly. With design margin reduction and introduction of new materials, manufacturing and assembly processes play an increasingly important role in the accuracy of fatigue life prediction.

ESI Virtual Prototyping Software Solutions for durability allows engineering teams to include the manufacturing and assembly history into a more accurate fatigue cycle performance analysis. Thus, it can support weight to cost optimization of a product, diagnose performance problems and propose a relevant countermeasure for design.

VPS Features