How to Use Advanced Simulation for Product Innovation

Key takeaways:

• Traditional engineering workflows often hinder innovations and even incremental improvements.
• Simulations are low-cost, low-friction solutions for fostering innovation.
• Keysight's advanced simulation tools enable deep innovations in automotive, aerospace, heavy machinery, and energy industries.

An engineer in an aerospace or automotive company has an idea to improve some aspect of a product's design or production line. But often, they can't just try it out. There are team reviews, management buy-in, budget approvals, physical prototypes, regulatory friction, and other roadblocks that entirely discourage even incremental innovations. The idea might have earned millions for the company. Now it'll never see the light of day.

Can engineers try out new ideas without risking a business? The answer is yes. Virtual prototypes enable trying out new ideas without any risks. One automotive parts manufacturer saved €165,000 per year by selecting a smaller die casting machine after simulating their manufacturing process.

This blog explores the pivotal role of simulation in the modern product development process, highlighting how the advanced simulation solutions from Keysight Technologies drive a strategic shift from physical testing to predictive virtual testing.

In this blog, find out how engineers can use advanced simulation for product innovation.

A new era of advanced simulations for product innovation

Keysight's portfolio now includes world-leading virtual prototyping and predictive multiphysics modeling solutions with a proven five-decade track record. These are advanced simulation software for virtual manufacturing, multi-domain systems simulation, advanced computer-aided engineering (CAE), and immersive industrial virtual reality.

Keysight's advanced simulation products enable customers in the automotive, aerospace, heavy industry, and energy sectors to realistically simulate product behaviors, streamline manufacturing processes, and evaluate performance under various conditions while minimizing the need for physical prototypes that are expensive and time-consuming.

Why are industries shifting from physical prototypes to virtual prototyping?

Product engineering is often under cost, time-to-market, and sustainability pressures in automotive, aerospace, and heavy industries. Every design iteration and physical prototype results in substantial expenses, lost time, and wastage. These drawbacks often discourage both major innovations and incremental improvements.

Simulation and virtual testing fill this gap between innovation and reality. A virtual prototype neither costs money nor results in wastage like a physical one. It requires time, but that can be reduced by selecting the most capable simulation solutions.

Virtual prototypes have many more benefits that encourage companies to move away from physical prototypes. Keysight's advanced simulation solutions facilitate many of these benefits.

What makes Keysight's simulation approach unique?

Figure 1. Simulations in product engineering

Keysight's philosophy on advanced simulation is unique in several ways:

• Predictive simulation versus post-hoc analysis: Post-hoc analysis is done after a physical prototype has been built or a product has been manufactured and tested in the real world. In contrast, predictive simulation is done when an idea is still a virtual model and nothing physical exists.
• No problem is too complex to simulate: For Keysight, even the most complex phenomenon can be simulated by studying it in depth. It employs proficient scientists and experienced engineers to virtualize real-world phenomena.
• Multi-physics, multi-domain virtual testing environments: Keysight's virtual prototypes are engineered to support the complex simulations that companies require for their critical engineering needs. We are very conscious of the criticality of these requirements and their outcomes.
• Cutting-edge techniques: Keysight uses highly advanced simulation techniques and algorithms like computational fluid dynamics (CFD), finite element analysis (FEA), mesh-free finite point method (FPM), artificial intelligence, machine learning, and high-performance computing (HPC).

Below are some of the key use cases that Keysight's advanced simulation products enable in multiple critical industries.

End-to-end virtual prototyping

Multi-Domain System Simulation Software enables automotive manufacturers to realistically simulate structural behaviors and dynamics of vehicle bodies, chassis, powertrains, airbags, seats, batteries, controls, and more.

Using Keysight CAE-Performance Suite-Multi-Domain Systems (SimulationX) Software, aircraft and spacecraft makers can verify flight control, landing gear, propulsion, actuation, electrical, and all subsystems.

Automotive and heavy vehicle safety

Products like Keysight CAE-Performance Suite-Structural Mechanics (VPS) enable automobile and heavy vehicle manufacturers to understand the safety aspects of vehicle bodies, chassis, airbags, seats, and batteries by simulating crash scenarios and dangerous road conditions.

Multi-domain system and structural mechanics simulation software enable aerospace makers to simulate and analyze bird strikes, advanced crashes, high-velocity impacts, and shocks during events like re-entry or water ditching.

Industrial metaverse and virtual reality

Keysight CAE-Immersive Suite- Keysight CAE-Immersive Suite-Human Workflow (IC.IDO) software is a powerful industrial metaverse and virtual reality (VR) solution that can create a variety of immersive 3D simulations for automotive, aerospace, and machinery sectors.

Customers can get a thorough feel for new products. Engineers, technicians, and line workers can experience assembly, operational, service, and maintenance workflows for design verification and process validation. Human-centric aspects — like ergonomics, assembly layouts, worker safety, accessibility, and wiring — can be previewed in fine detail inside realistic immersive 3D environments to spot subtle problems without creating expensive physical prototypes.

Virtual manufacturing

Keysight CAE-Manufacturing Suite of products include:

• Casting (ProCAST) simulation software
• Forming and Molding (PAM-COMPOSITES) simulation software
• Sheet Metal Forming (PAM-STAMP) simulation software
• Stamping simulation software

They enable automotive, aerospace, and heavy machinery manufacturers to predict and eliminate critical manufacturing defects, such as casting flaws, composite distortions, and sheet metal forming issues like springback.

They also facilitate comprehensive optimization of material usage, process parameters, and tool designs, ensuring high product quality and performance standards.

How do automotive companies use Keysight's advanced simulation tools?

Let's understand how automotive customers are using simulation for product innovation.

Full vehicle virtual prototyping

Figure 2. Simulating a vehicle's powertrain in Multi-Domain Simulation Software

Multi-Domain system simulation software enables system-level simulations of an entire vehicle to understand the behaviors of multiple domains (mechanical, hydraulics, pneumatics, electronics, thermal, and controls) and co-simulate their interactions.

Multi-domain system simulation software can model entire powertrains (internal combustion, electric, and hybrid), including drivetrains, gearboxes, and noise vibration harshness (NVH).

It can also recreate vehicle dynamics by co-simulating steering systems, hydraulic and pneumatic braking, suspensions, anti-lock braking systems (ABS), and vibrations to assess ride quality and vehicle stability.

Crash and safety simulations

Figure 3. Structural mechanics simulation

Both structural mechanics and multi-domain system simulation software facilitate in-depth virtual testing of crash and safety aspects. Structural mechanics simulation software is the primary tool for crash and safety simulation.

Figure 4. Multi-domain system simulation versus structural mechanics simulation for crash and safety simulations

Multi-Domian System (SimulationX) simulation software integrates with Structural Mechanics (VPS) simulation software to co-simulate the effects of other subsystems on safety systems and vice versa.

Figure 5. Structural mechanics simulation software uses a single-core model to simulate a variety of phenomena

Structural Mechanics (VPS) software simulates a wide variety of crash scenarios, like frontal, side pole, and far-side, to assess structural deformations and impacts on occupants and pedestrians. Structural mechanics simulation uses a single core 3D model to concurrently support multiple types of simulation, and also uses machine learning to efficiently explore the design space to optimize between safety, weight, and cost.

Figure 6. Virtual crash test dummies in Structural Mechanics (VPS)

Mechanical Structure Simulation Software incorporates detailed virtual crash test dummies, lifelike human body models (including organs, skin, muscles, and reactive models), and automation of dummy positioning to:

• assess occupant safety
• predict pedestrian impacts
• evaluate effects like seat belt pull

Structural strength and vehicle dynamics

Structural Mechanics simulation enables the virtual testing of vehicle strength and dynamics to identify potential weaknesses or flaws in new designs early on.

The software can:

• assess vehicle stiffness while static or driving to optimize strength, weight, comfort, and handling
• simulate the impacts of potholes, accounting for tire physics and road speeds
• simulate torsional stresses on the structure during various driving scenarios
• assess the hood's stiffness against aerodynamic loads
• perform panel slam analysis to predict structural integrity impacts due to slamming doors

Airbag and seat modeling

Figure 7. Mechanical Structure Simulation Software airbag simulation

Structural mechanics simulation software's airbag simulation can:

• precisely simulate airbag folding and dynamic deployment
• incorporate non-uniform and uniform pressure simulation and viscous flow
• simulate the simultaneous deployment of all airbags in a full vehicle simulation
• perform airbag calibration using artificial intelligence techniques like reduced order modeling for rapid testing of various parameter combinations

Figure 8. Seat simulation using Virtual Seat Solution

The Virtual Seat Solution module enables end-to-end seat design and validation for maximum safety, comfort, cost efficiency, manufacturing accuracy, material considerations, and overall design optimization without building any physical prototypes.

Automotive virtual manufacturing

Figure 9.Casting Simulation Software casting simulation

Keysight's virtual manufacturing tools aim for "first-time-right" production and reduction of physical prototypes in automotive production.

• Casting simulation software can simulate various casting methods and predict microstructure, grain structure, and mechanical properties of diverse alloys. It addresses degradation by tracking residual stresses, distortion, hot tears, porosity, and die fatigue.
• Stamping simulation software is an automotive-specific simulation software to optimize stamping processes and improve the quality of manufactured parts from early on in the design process.
• Sheet Metal Forming simulation software complements Stamping simulation, offering flexible sheet metal forming simulation for advanced processes like hydroforming, stretch forming, and various bending and hemming operations to multiple industries including aerospace.
• Forming and Molding simulation enables composite materials research by simulating molding and infusion processes and predicting material degradation.

Automotive acoustics

Vibro-Acoustic simulation software simulates exterior and interior acoustics for automobiles using virtual test tracks and enables comprehensive NVH analysis.

Electric vehicle simulations

Figure 10. Battery safety simulations in Structural Mechanics (VPS)

Structural Mechanics (VPS) simulation software supports comprehensive virtual battery safety for electric vehicles (EVs), including regulatory crash analysis, cell short-circuits, stiffness, shock, swelling, fire risks, and full car crash scenarios.

Fluid, air, and thermal simulations for automotive

Figure 11. Water intrusion simulation using Structural Mechanics (VPS)

Structural Mechanics (VPS) simulation software can simulate complex interactions of fluids with the car structure. This allows for a holistic simulation of vehicle water crossings to predict the flow, ingress, structural impacts, water intrusion, and seal deformation.

The software also models sloshing in fuel tanks and predicts its effects during vehicle use or crashes.

Multi-Domain System simulation software can simulate hydraulic, pneumatic, thermal, and air conditioning systems used in automobiles.

In addition, our open-source CFD software, OpenFOAM, is useful for automotive aero-thermal simulations. For example, one automotive OEM uses OpenFOAM to simulate external aerodynamics, air flow, and air conditioning.

How do aerospace companies use Keysight's engineering simulation tools?

Figure 13. Casting simulation for an aircraft part

Many of the simulation tools for the automotive sector are also used by aircraft and spacecraft manufacturers, but the safety and financial stakes are far higher. Engineering teams must achieve high thresholds of energy efficiency, safety, and lightweighting through very early evaluation of material choices, geometries, production costs, and logistics.

Aerospace engineers use Multi-Domain System simulation for:

• analyzing flight dynamics during lift-off, ascent, float, and landing
• safety certification
• bird strike analysis
• landing gear impacts

Structural Mechanics (VPS) simulation software is used for high-velocity impact and shock analysis, as well as structural analyses for stress and strength in scenarios like re-entry or water ditching.

Vibro-Acoustic (VA-One) simulation software enables vibro-acoustic simulation and noise control. For example, it's used to design quieterelectric vertical take-off and landing aircraft. Vibro-Acoustic simulation software is also used for analyzing the structural dynamics of spacecraft.

Like automotive, aerospace virtual manufacturing also uses Casting (ProCAST), Forming and Molding (PAM-COMPOSITES), and Sheet Metal Forming (PAM-STAMP) simulation software. However, safety and reliability are paramount. The regulatory requirements are far more stringent. Lightweighting is the primary design goal in aerospace instead of shorter manufacturing cycles.

Additionally, aerospace uses far more advanced materials, like high-temperature superalloys, titanium, and carbon fiber-reinforced polymers. Forming and Molding Simulation Software supports more complex simulations of microstructure, grain growth, residual stresses, and fatigue for such exotic materials.

Notable aerospace and defense customers are using these advanced simulation tools for refining their aircraft and spacecraft.

How are Keysight's simulation technologies used in heavy machinery and energy sectors?

Figure 14. Simulating heavy machinery in Virtual Proving Ground

Heavy machinery used in industries like construction, agriculture, and mining must remain safe, clean, and productive throughout their long lifecycles.

Virtual prototyping enables validation of reliability, robustness, safety, and ergonomics for workers and operators.

The Virtual Proving Ground enables the early testing of simulated heavy vehicles for operational durability in real-world rough terrains. Vehicle dynamics, stabilization, emergency stops, shutdowns, and tipping safety can be virtually evaluated.

The same virtual manufacturing tools are useful for heavy machines. Durability, sustainability, and reduced costs are the main design goals.

What are the business benefits of using Keysight's advanced simulations for product innovation?

Let's look at some of the key business benefits of Keysight's simulation tools:

• High-quality innovations: Keysight's philosophy of simulating even the most complex phenomena enables customers to explore many ideas through virtual testing. For example, engineers can simulate exotic lightweight materials for aircraft bodies and better batteries for EVs.
• Faster time to market: Customers can confidently shift left all their critical design and manufacturing decision-making to achieve faster time-to-market.
• Cost savings: Fewer physical prototypes result in substantial cost savings. Virtual manufacturing significantly reduces development cycles, minimizes material waste, lowers scrap rates, and streamlines production.
• Better product performance: Products like Multi-Domain System Simulation Software and Mechanical Structure Simulation Software enable engineers to optimize safety, reliability, durability, weight, vibrations, and more.
• Better product quality: Simulations boost the perceived quality of products, increase customer satisfaction, and prevent recalls.
• Regulatory alignment: Vehicle homologation and aerospace qualification are less complicated due to regulatory alignment from early on. First-time regulatory certification for vehicle crash, safety, and strength is faster.
• Digital twin and Industry 4.0 strategies: Advanced simulations enable digital twin strategies and Industry 4.0 digitalization.
• Sustainability goals: Aerospace, automotive, and heavy industry can achieve sustainability goals like Vision ZERO.

Adopt Keysight advanced simulations for product innovation

Simulation and virtual testing are not just another set of tools but a mindset shift, a new engineering paradigm. Keysight empowers engineers, digital transformation leaders, and managers to confidently adopt simulations as the primary testing approach in order to innovate more, design smart, and validate often. Explore all of oursimulation products and solutions.

Are you ready to reduce physical prototyping and go virtual? Contact us for a demo to learn how our virtual prototyping tools can transform your products.

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