Objective:
Reduce the cost and cycle time required to develop large scale full ship analysis models for shock.
Summary:
This project was aimed at reducing the cycle time required to develop large scale full ship analysis models for strength, stress, shock, and acoustic simulation and assessment. Naval vessels are highly complex products; varying design and qualification scenarios require creation of a wide range of analysis models during various design stages. At the extreme, whole ship transient analysis simulation is currently being employed, but the task of accessing and processing model-building data and information is complicated and tedious.
The project team developed and demonstrated two modeling and simulation environments that support ship design and analysis automation from the early concept to the detailed stages. For both the demonstrated surface ship and submarine tracks, unique approaches were implemented that focus on supporting multilevel modeling fidelity within a single design environment. The demonstrated environments support workflow process automation for design and analysis of surface ships and submarines at the various stages of the process (conceptual, preliminary, and detailed).
Initial investigations have shown a reduction in concept-to-analysis cycle time and allow greater investigation of the entire design space. The more robust design space investigations can result in improved cost/benefit analyses, the support of live-fire test by analysis and reduce total ship acquisition costs.
Specifically, the team:
- Showcased several newer capabilities which are applicable to both surface ships and submarines.
- Integrated legacy tools into more efficient M&S process flows.
- Automated several key steps in the modeling process.
- Illustrated more automated mesh generation, which can be merged with analysis and post-processing.
- Highlighted areas in which cost saving can be achieved and demonstrated.
The process and tool improvements from this effort provide the capability to iterate on multiple new designs. Previously the extended time required to create one analysis model, meant that the analyst only had time to play “what if” on that one model, which resulted in a limited exploration of the design space. However, with the order of magnitude reduction in model creation and analysis time afforded by the implemented framework, the analyst is able explore many more alternative designs. The analyst can more rapidly create new designs and analyze their behaviors in a much shorter time span, thereby enabling a richer exploration of the design space.
Key Deliverables / Benefits:
Final Report – Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited
Request more information from NSRP – Limited Distribution authorized to U.S. shipyards and NSRP ASE Program representatives
Overview
Project Team:
- General Dynamics Electric Boat
- Northrop Grumman Ship Systems
- Engineous Software
- Technosoft
- Product Data Services Corporation
January 2007 - June 2008
NSRP ASE Investment: $1M
Industry Investment: $1M
