WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind., Feb. 28 (UPI) -- Purdue University engineers have developed software to increase the efficiency of creating parts for everything from cars to computer hardware.
The mechanical engineers say the software makes it possible to quickly evaluate and optimize complex designs by integrating the design and analysis processes, which are now separate.
Currently, the geometry of a part is first created using computer-aided design software. That geometry is then converted into a mesh of simple shapes that, when analyzed, indicates the part's strength and other characteristics. The painstaking procedure, called finite-element analysis, is extensively used in industry and is not very efficient, said Ganesh Subbarayan, a professor of mechanical engineering.
"We are trying to speed up this process to make it more efficient by rethinking the way analysis is carried out. Instead of waiting until the end of the CAD process to do the analysis, we are trying to unify both the CAD design and analysis so that they are carried out concurrently."
Information about the software tool is detailed in a research paper recently published online and will appear in the May issue of the journal Advances in Engineering Software.
