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Archus Orthopedics, a biomedical company, was faced with the challenge of predicting the nonlinear motion of the spine when fitted with an implant. This is a crucial aspect in the development of their Total Facet Arthroplasty System™ (TFAS®), a patented spinal implant designed to treat spinal stenosis. The traditional method of determining this motion was through cadaveric testing, a process that was not only time-consuming but also ineffective for performing design iterations on new motion-restoring spinal implant designs. The company needed a more efficient and accurate method to simulate the quality of motion of the natural spine and predict the nonlinear motion of the spine with an implant.

Cities in the northeastern U.S. were exploring the installation of new combined sewer overflow (CSO) treatment units using an advanced hydrodynamic vortex separator (HDVS) with a self-cleansing screen, such as that produced by Hydro International. Traditionally, HDVSs have been used as high-rate solid–liquid separators; only recently has their potential use as contact chambers for high-rate disinfection of CSOs been realized. Conventional disinfection of CSOs, using mixed basins, requires contact times of around 15 minutes. However, a report demonstrated that these systems provide effective high-rate disinfection at contact times of only three minutes. While the shorter contact times could save up to 50 percent of overall project costs for municipalities, regulators still expected to see longer contact times based on performance requirements of older systems. The challenge for Hydro International was to understand the basis for the shorter contact times and validate that high-rate disinfection is an acceptable alternative to longer conventional disinfection methods.

Cranfield University at the Defence College of Management and Technology (DCMT) within the Defence Academy of the United Kingdom, formerly known as the Royal Military College of Science (RMCS), is tasked with educating the armed forces in defence related technology. A significant part of this education involves the study and understanding of weapons effects. This is a complex field that involves highly dynamic phenomena, requiring both theoretical and practical understanding. Numerical simulations are used to provide insight into these phenomena, complementing experimental studies and demonstrations. However, the challenge lies in enhancing student understanding of numerical analysis techniques and applying these techniques to a range of applications.

Culligan Matrix Solutions, a leader in water treatment, faced a significant challenge in developing a new water softener. The company aimed to create a device that used less salt than any other product on the market, minimized water pressure losses, and utilized the least amount of material possible. This ambitious project required a delicate balance between hydrodynamic performance and structural integrity. The R&D team needed to employ both fluid dynamics and structural mechanics simulations to achieve these goals. The challenge was not only to meet these stringent requirements but also to do so in a cost-effective and time-efficient manner.

Vaughan Co., a leading manufacturer of chopper pumps, faced a significant challenge in developing process mixing installations for wastewater treatment. The goal was to minimize 'dead zones' in the tank where solids could collect, as these solids decrease active volume and reduce process capacity. However, on-site process optimization was impractical due to the unique nature of each installation. Additionally, model testing for each installation was not only expensive but also offered limited information and could be unreliable due to scale-up issues. The company also faced difficulties in achieving convergence in numerical simulation of tank flows using conventional CFD solvers, due to the nature of the flow, which included large variation in length scales and low velocity.

The designers of a luxury super yacht were faced with a significant challenge when the initial design of the vessel was approximately 300 tons above the desired weight. The high-quality super yachts are engineered to perfection, ensuring extraordinary handling in difficult sea conditions while combining maximum power with reduced emissions. To achieve this exceptional performance, the use of lightweight and high-strength materials like carbon composites is often necessary. The designers sought the expertise of ar engineers to find ways to reduce the weight of the yacht. The engineering team was tasked with investigating the use of carbon composites materials for several access doors used by the yacht crew and service members. They used ANSYS Composite PrepPost to determine the feasibility and to optimize the composites design.

3Discovered, an exchange platform for commercial-grade 3D printed parts and products, was facing a challenge in finding a 3D modeling software package that fit their startup budget. They needed a solution that could quickly turn around designs for printing and handle models in a variety of formats or design them based on 3D scans. The company was also dealing with the issue of reverse engineering, as they often received work from design owners and customers that required this process before they could work with a 3D print house. The existing software solutions they had tried, such as Inventor or SolidWorks, were not designed to handle the large number of facets involved in reverse engineering and would often crash.

Mirage Machines, a manufacturer of portable machines for various industries, was facing a challenge in their design process. They were using detailed structural simulation at the front end of the design process to ensure the robustness and risk-free nature of their solutions. However, the Finite Element Analysis (FEA) simulation they were using, SolidWorks® Professional and Premium packages, had limitations. These packages only allowed Mirage to conduct FEA on single parts and small assembly models. A recent project required the development of a gantry that used a series of magnets to attach steel rails. The initial design was to be base metal, but the requirement changed to include a layer of paint. This change introduced an air gap, reducing the magnets' pull force by 40 percent. Mirage needed to understand the impact of the paint thickness on the pull force of the magnets and the integrity of the structure as the arms moved along the base rail.

Energy Absorption Systems, Inc., a global leader in the design and manufacture of crash cushions, impact attenuators, and other energy-absorbing safety devices, faced a challenge with their TMA-180 truck-mounted attenuator. This device, consisting of a hinged steel frame containing energy-absorbing air-filled aluminum baffles, extends from the back of parked construction vehicles to protect people and equipment in highway work zones from vehicle traffic impacts. The company found a more reliable and economical supplier for the hydraulic cylinder that powers the rotation of the frame. However, the differences in cylinder geometry and loading necessitated a redesign of the clevis linkage connecting the cylinder to the frame. The challenge was to execute this redesign as quickly and reliably as possible to reduce the time to market for the improved product.

The Metal Building Insulation (MBI) industry was facing a challenge in revising insulation performance standards. Owens Corning, a leading member of the MBI industry, recognized the need for developing thermal performance factors for MBI assemblies. The task involved numerical modeling of three-dimensional flow and heat transfer problems in insulation assemblies used in the metal building industry. The geometries of these assemblies were complex, including several materials with different thermal conductivities and narrow pockets of air where natural convective currents could potentially form. Even slight variations in the overall heat transfer rates could have a significant impact in the long run. Therefore, the roof-insulation fastening mechanisms had to be carefully designed for optimal performance.

The United States Marine Corps was set to roll out a new Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle (EFV) by the end of the decade. This hybrid tank/boat was designed to carry 20 personnel over both land and sea at speeds of up to 30 miles an hour. However, the EFV contained an environmental control system (ECS) that was not up to the mark. The ECS, essentially a high-performance air conditioner, was supposed to keep the cabin air at a comfortable temperature even when outside temperatures were as high as 125º Fahrenheit, while operating quietly enough to pose no risk to the crew’s hearing. The initial prototype failed to meet these standards, leading to a re-bid process. Fairchild Controls Corporation won the re-bid and was tasked with improving the ECS unit’s airflow and minimizing operational noise, all within a strict budget and a tight deadline of 14 months.

Comatec Oy, a company providing engineering services for the industrial machinery sector, was facing several challenges in their product design and optimization process. They were dealing with complex projects from customers that presented complicated boundary conditions, loadings, and nonlinearities. The company was struggling to efficiently import 3-D models from various CAD applications into simulation tools. They also had to handle large assemblies with many configurations, which was a complex task. Evaluating stress, vibration, and fatigue for mechanical and thermal loadings was another challenge they faced. Additionally, they needed to quickly obtain and report results to customers, which was proving to be time-consuming and inefficient.

In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, one of the deadliest hurricanes in the United States, Mechanical Solutions, Inc. (MSI) was subcontracted to increase the capacity of a pumping station in flood-prone New Orleans. The challenge was to evaluate the vibration responses of the platform during the operation of high-power mechanical equipment. During major weather events, these high-power pumping units must work at full capacity to drain excess water out of sub-sea-level areas. The heavy equipment produces vibrations and other stresses that can cause the massive platforms supporting the equipment to fail. MSI engineers faced numerous challenges in assessing and addressing design problems of the partially submerged pumping station platforms. All design issues had to be identified and addressed before any construction began, and the project needed to be completed prior to the onset of the next hurricane season.

Kato Engineering, a company that designs and manufactures a complete line of precision-engineered, high-quality AC generators, motor-generator sets, and controls for prime, standby, and peak-shaving power generation, faced a significant challenge. The subtransient reactance of an electrical generator, which is the generator internal impedance element that is effective during the first few cycles of a transient load event, was difficult to predict. This reactance is typically determined through factory testing of new generator designs after the design process is finished. This method was not only time-consuming but also inefficient as it delayed the identification of potential issues until after the design process was completed.

In the rail industry, hardware testing is a costly and time-consuming process, often limited to research and development at the Masters and Ph.D. levels. This level of detail is often unnecessary and cost-prohibitive for typical railcar manufacturing. However, as more railcars are phased out due to service age, there is a growing demand for new railcar designs. Freight transit by railcar is favored by many companies due to its low cost per high volume shipment. A new customer of BNSF Logistics LLC (BNSFL) requested a stress analysis on their covered hopper design. When it became clear that significant structural changes would be needed to meet the Association of American Railroads (AAR) requirements, the customer requested a larger scope of work beyond FEA verification. BNSFL was then tasked to deliver both the modified CAD design and supporting stress analysis. The success of the project depended on simulation to demonstrate the railcar’s structural integrity.

Apollo Engineering was tasked with the challenge of re-engineering the aging, four-person wheeled-bobsled vehicles at Park City, Utah, which were providing a rough, uneven ride to the customers. The original design of the bobsled consisted of a two-piece fiberglass body connected by a steel yoke bolted to both pieces. The body design necessitated a long and poorly supported yoke. The challenge was further complicated by significant changes to the wheels and suspension system of the bobsled, including the removal of an axle in the middle of the vehicle, to produce a smoother ride. This meant that the yoke had to be redesigned and the forces on it had to be re-evaluated to ensure that it could withstand the stress, strain, and fatigue for safety purposes.

TNO Prins Maurits Laboratory (TNO-PML) is a renowned institution in the field of defense research, providing scientific and technical advice in areas such as explosion safety, munition effects, ballistic protection, and survivability of weapon platforms. The laboratory combines experimental facilities with numerical analysis capabilities to deliver high-quality research. However, the challenge lies in the application of these research findings in real-world scenarios. The main applications of their research tool, AUTODYN, include terminal ballistics, injury biomechanics, safe field storage of ammunition and explosives, effects of bomb attacks and explosions onto structures, explosive materials processing, and mineblast modeling. The challenge is to effectively utilize these applications in a way that enhances the safety and efficiency of defense operations.

Voith Turbo Scharfenberg, a leader in the railway industry, faced the challenge of designing railcar couplers that could absorb the enormous energy created by a train collision, thereby enhancing passenger safety. The energy absorption systems had to meet specific standards and were required to function effectively not only during heavy impacts but also during smooth train operation or minor impacts. The components of the absorption system, particularly the rubber elements, undergo large deformation during a collision, making the simulation of these hyperelastic materials a challenge. Additionally, the specific nonlinear force-path characteristics of the absorption elements had to be met. The design assessment based on simulation of different collision scenarios was necessary to optimize the coupler and its energy absorption characteristics.

ISGEC Hitachi Zosen Limited, a leading manufacturer of complex pressure vessels and heat exchanger equipment, was faced with the challenge of utilizing the maximum temperature capability of materials for the design of structural components in the oil and gas sector. The current ASME code (Section VIII, Division 2) limits the generation of fatigue curves up to a maximum of 371 °C. However, manufacturers wanted to use ASME Code Case 2605, a special rule for fatigue evaluation of 2.25Cr-1Mo-0.25V steels at temperatures greater than 371 °C and less than 454 °C. The challenge was to carry out full inelastic analysis, such as ratcheting elastic shakedown analysis, using the actual time-dependent thermal and mechanical loading histograms. The existing methods of treating plasticity and creep as two independent phenomena in stress and strain calculations using spreadsheet-like applications were subject to human error and could lead to unrealistic damage parameters.

Epta, a global leader in commercial refrigeration solutions, was facing challenges in evaluating and validating the performance of multiple refrigeration system designs under various working conditions. The increasing global engineering trends necessitated a deeper understanding of physics and large-scale simulation efforts. The traditional methods were not efficient enough to deal with these demanding requirements. The need for a robust, fast, and convenient environment, especially during production peaks, was evident. The challenge was to find a solution that could provide a flexible configuration to manage multiple projects simultaneously without compromising on the speed and scale of simulations.

The development of onshore wind farms requires a detailed understanding of how prevailing wind conditions interact with local terrain and potential wind turbine installations. Many of the software programs currently in use are not well suited to complex onshore terrain where factors such as atmospheric stability, forestry, and turbine interactions play a significant role. The accurate prediction of wind conditions including wind speed, wind shear, wind veer, and turbulence intensity both under ambient and waked conditions is vital for intelligent project design. The challenge lies in finding a solution that can accurately model these complex wind climates and optimize turbine placement to maximize energy yield and minimize risk.

NEM Energy b.v. was faced with a significant design challenge in their concentrated solar power (CSP) system. The CSP system uses mirrors or lenses to concentrate sunlight onto a small area to drive a heat engine connected to an electrical power generator. The key challenge was to increase the stiffness of the mirrors for CSP. This was crucial to ensure that as much reflected light as possible is directed to the target, called a receiver, without incurring a cost premium. Stiffness was critical because a mere 1-degree rotation error for a heliostat 380 meters away from the tower resulted in a 6.6-meter tracking error, meaning the reflected light was delivered 6.6 meters from the intended target on the tower.

Holcim (Brazil) S.A., a leading global supplier of cement, aggregates, and concrete products in Brazil, was facing a challenge in the regulation of particle size used in creating cement. The size of these particles can significantly affect the efficiency of the cement production line. The company was seeking technology gains that could reduce operational costs and increase production efficiency. The challenge was to replace the expensive and time-consuming trial-and-error testing of separator performance with computer modeling. They also needed to simulate and classify the particles’ paths as a function of particle diameter to consider possible improvements that would increase separation efficiency.

Royal Philips Electronics, a global leader in the electronics industry, faced a significant challenge in the development of its Ceramic Discharge Metal-halide (CDM) lamps. The primary challenge was to create a lamp design that was both thermally and mechanically robust, capable of lasting a specified lifetime. To achieve this, accurate simulation of the gas discharge, wall temperature, and mechanical stresses were required. The complexity of these factors made it difficult to develop a lamp that could meet the high standards of durability and longevity that Philips aimed for. The challenge was not only to create a lamp that could withstand the rigors of use but also to understand the intricate interplay of various physical factors that could affect the lamp's performance.

The global hearing aid market is becoming increasingly competitive due to an aging population and higher life expectancy. In this environment, medical device manufacturers need to bring advanced products to market quickly and without incurring additional costs late in the development cycle. However, many companies deploy their engineering resources late in the development process to address design and manufacturing problems prior to product rollout. This approach often results in vital engineering resources being used to fix design problems rather than designing products that better meet customer needs and critical design requirements the first time. Oticon, a manufacturer of hearing aids, realized the value of engineering simulation and used it to design and validate key components of its devices. However, to become a global leader in innovation and stay ahead of the competition, Oticon needed to apply simulation to all the components interacting in the product, requiring a scalable, systems-level approach to design.

e3k, an Australian mechanical engineering consultancy, was tasked with optimizing the efficiency of a multi-nozzle Pelton wheel hydroelectric power station design. The challenge lay in the intricate examination of the branching distributor manifold, the nozzle design, and the rotating runner to extract maximum useful energy from the known head and flow conditions. The dynamic interaction between water jets and the runner created a particularly complex unsteady, multiphase flow field. This complexity made it difficult to identify areas for improvement and to understand the effects of potential design changes.

Dunham Associates, a mechanical and electrical engineering consulting firm, specializes in developing facility designs that maximize energy savings and optimize the indoor environment for building occupants. The company is committed to sustainable design and works closely with its clients to achieve facility goals. One of the challenges Dunham faces is designing effective complex mechanical ventilation systems for large new-construction commercial office buildings. Many of these projects seek Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification and incorporate innovative underfloor air distribution (UFAD) or displacement ventilation systems to deliver improved indoor air quality (IAQ) and thermal comfort to the building’s occupants. The ventilation system design must be optimized in terms of providing performance as well as energy efficiency.

Elecon Engineering was faced with the challenge of developing a reliable gearbox that meets market demand. The complexity of gear mechanisms, which transmit rotation and torque between axes in a machine, presented numerous technological problems. To achieve high load-carrying capacity, reduce the weight of gear drives, and increase the strength of the gearbox, engineers had to carry out gear-tooth stress analysis and perform tooth modifications to optimize gear drive design. Performance parameters such as tooth bending, surface distress, and tooth deflection were contributing to gear tooth failure. The challenge was to evaluate gear tooth performance quickly, regardless of construction material and manufacturing processes.

Schlemmer GmbH, a leader in cable protection systems, faced a significant challenge in testing the stiffness and deformation behaviors of their cable protection hoses. These tests, which include bending and crush tests, are crucial in determining the hose's ability to withstand combined tension, bending, and mechanical compression. However, these tests required the production of expensive prototypes, which was not cost-effective. Furthermore, the simulation of large deformations, material behavior, and nonlinear contact of the hoses required robust nonlinear capabilities. The company needed a solution that could provide valuable information early in the concept phase of a new product to reduce the number of prototypes required.

Delphi, a global leader in mobile electronics and transportation components, faced a significant challenge in the design of their automotive engine control modules (ECMs). The ECMs use silicone rubber spacers in the shape of truncated cones to ensure thermal or electrical contact between different components. These spacers press the integrated circuit (IC) against metal heat sinks to provide a conduction heat transfer path to cool the circuitry. Determining the force exerted by the spacer is critical to the design of the module. Insufficient force would not adequately cool the IC or properly secure it, resulting in premature failure due to overheating or excessive shock and vibration. Conversely, the force cannot be set too high because of constraints in the ECM housing and printed-circuit board. The challenge was to accurately represent the elastomer material so spacers could be designed to provide an optimal force against the circuit board.