auto industry with cae value

Automotive

We work side-by-side with our clients to shorten development time using the following deliverables:

  • High-fidelity modeling of chassis and powertrain dynamics
  • Multi-objective Design Optimization (MDO) - using Design Exploration to generate balanced solutions meeting desired performance for attributes such as noise, vibration, harshness (NVH), handling, ride, driveability, durability, and more.  
  • Automation of simulation processes to increase efficiency
  • Tire measurement for Durability, Handling and Ride applications
  • Driving Simulator hardware, software and services
  • Mechatronics simulation with connected mechanical and ADAS models
  • Process assessments to identify bottlenecks, define roadmaps, and maximize return on Computer Aided Engineering activities.

 

6 Use Cases for CAE Simulation in
Electric Vehicle Drivetrains


As electric vehicles take over a larger share of the automotive market, OEMs and suppliers alike need to make use of every tool at their disposal to improve the performance of their vehicles. At present, no tool is more essential than CAE simulation when it comes to helping manufacturers test the design of EM components and how they contribute to the structure, efficiency, and performance of a vehicle.

While a lot of attention is often focused on battery performance in EVs, the electric drivetrain also presents completely new engineering challenges that require extensive simulation in order to understand how interconnecting systems affect each other. From our experience working in the automotive industry, we have identified six key areas where simulation helps EV engineers improve drivetrain performance. Let’s take a closer look.

 

1. NVH

In automotive engineering, reducing NVH (noise, vibration, and harshness) is essential to providing a comfortable passenger experience. Combustion engines are significantly more noisy than electric motors, which might lead some to believe that NVH reduction doesn’t require the same level of care and attention. However, the noise of the combustion engine masks a lot of NVH issues that would otherwise be problematic. With the engine noise gone, passengers are more likely to notice outside noises, as well as sounds from the gearbox or coolant systems.The issues are similar for vibration. A vehicle that moves and shakes is disquieting to passengers, and gives an impression of low quality. While passengers expect vibration from a combustion engine, electric vehicles will still experience vibration conditions when they are on the road. These can be more noticeable to passengers, leading them to feel less satisfied with the vehicle.

These factors are what make NVH simulation in electric vehicles so important. CAE simulations can show how disparate parts work together to contribute to passenger experiences of NVH. These can then be remedied in the design.


2. Electric Motor Performance

Electric vehicles have typically lagged behind those with internal combustion engines (ICEs) in terms of power and performance. This has been a barrier to wider adoption, as improvements in motor and transmission performance have come at a tradeoff to battery longevity. However, newer EV technologies have increased the efficiency of electric powertrains, allowing them to compete with and even outperform their ICE counterparts.

Multiphysics simulations have been integral to these improvements, and can help automotive manufacturers develop even better designs. This can be particularly important in optimizing motor efficiencies with gear ratios, to improve performance on highways or during uphill driving.

3. Thermal Management

Proper thermal management keeps components operating at optimal efficiency, which results in less drain on the battery and greater range for the vehicle. Thermal management systems in electric vehicles are more complex than their ICE counterparts, as batteries must be either cooled or heated depending on operating conditions, and because EMs don’t generate any waste heat that might be used to warm the cabin.Analyzing the way motors, inverters, generators, and batteries work together to consume energy is an important part of thermal management. Simulations can be used to model the entire vehicle to better integrate these systems for more efficient use.

4. Lubrication

Electric vehicles require different lubricants than ICEs. Without fossil fuels and with fewer moving parts, these systems run cleaner, meaning the engine oils will collect fewer contaminants over time from burning fuel. However, EV motors operate at very high speeds, and still require both oil and coolant. And, while EV transmissions are different from ICEs, they do still require lubrication for the gear reducer.

Thus far, there is no one solution to which lubricants should be used for different EV transmissions. While some manufacturers use traditional transmission fluid, others are relying on grease bearings with oil lubricants. CFD simulation can help engineers understand which lubricants work best based on their design choices.

5. New Materials

A key strategy for improving fuel efficiency in electric vehicles is to reduce the weight of the vehicle itself. Increased strength and stiffness can also improve the responsiveness and speed of electric motors, leading to better operating conditions. However, for a manufacturer to move from traditional metals to new, lightweight alloys, they must be able to ensure that these new materials can withstand the strains of use within an electric vehicle.CAE simulation can show how these new materials behave when used in EV driveline components, from the motor to the gearbox to the structural housing, so that manufacturers can continue to find new and more effective materials for their vehicle designs.


6. Durability

The reputations of automotive manufacturers are made or broken on the reliability and longevity of their products. Premature failure of components leads to lost trust among consumers, as well as extra expenses for manufacturers in case of a large recall.

Using CAE simulation, engineers can create models to run fatigue tests and predict failure conditions for every component in the EV driveline. These simulations can help manufacturers determine repair schedules and write better warrantees for their vehicles.

CAE VAlue can support your simulation needs for electric vehicle drivetrains.
CAE VAlue offers CAE simulation support for OEMs and suppliers in two key ways. First, we are value-added resellers (VARs) of VI-grade simulation apps and driving simulators, Siemens Simcenter HEEDS and Amesim, SES-Agile Tire, and our own ParaMount bushing simulation tool. For manufacturers who hope to expand their CAE departments we offer support for using this software to set up custom workflows.

As CAE consultants, we bring our multidisciplinary expertise to the table, helping our clients find solutions to complex problems. We can perform CAE simulations for our clients, increasing the capabilities for those who do not have CAE engineers on staff, and expanding the capacity for those who need extra assistance during peak production times.

If you are looking for a CAE partner to help test designs for EV components, contact us

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mechatronics and amesim save time and money

Today, Simcenter Amesim saves us time
and money, and makes it possible to develop conceptual schemes for which experimental activities are not
feasible or affordable.

Massimo Martelli,Researcher, Fluid Power and Mechatronics Department IMAMOTER

 

 

 

 

Support your design, manufacturing,
and maintenance across
industries with system simulation

There is immense pressure to reach the performance level expections
in relation to increasingly complex, interconnected, and smart products.
And it has never been more critical to optimize design in a system’s
early development stages when it is still conceptual.
Deliver engineering innovation with system simulation and
SIEMENS SIMCENTER AMESIM

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mechatronics with amesim




Predict
the behavior
of mechatronic systems

balance conflicting performance attributes




Balance
conflicting
performance attributes

benchmark multiple design options




Benchmark
multiple design options
to improve your product

reduce physical prototyping to minimum




Reduce
physical prototyping
and testing to a strict minimum

 

 

 



amesim early detection


Accelerate
design cycles,
reduce development costs,
and deliver superior products

Defects identified early in the process will be exponentially easier to solve and have a more
limited impact on your project timeline and cost. Understandably, that cost will be negligible
if compared to product recalls or the negative impact on a company's brand image
if the issue is discovered too late in the design cycle. 

System simulation translates into accelerated design cycles, reduced development costs
and superior products that excite your company and customers alike.
Straight up, system simulation empowers you to engineer the right product.


Discover model-based system testing

CAE Value is dedicated to giving you with a range of engineering solutions designed to enable and optimally balance the combined use of test and simulation, referred to as Model-based System Testing (MBST), and sometimes called virtual sensing. Validate functional performance using proven analytics as well as perform attribute engineering on virtual models, virtual-physical systems, and physical prototypes. Check out the image to the right. Are you a simulation engineer? Test for simulation is your gateway to the test world. If you combine test and simulation for real-time testing, Test with simulation has solutions for you. And for all you test engineers out there, we're sharing solutions to use more simulation during testing in Simulation for test.

 



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amesim sketch system simulation

 

combine simulation and test data
in the Amesim Sketch Viewer 

Access your Amesim simulation results directly from a test environment by interactively using the sketch of your Amesim model (image left shows a servovalve system) and import your Amesim data logically from within the test environment. Once your data is imported, you'll have access to the wide-ranging capabilities of Testlab Process Designer to post-process simulation data with metrics of your choice and can begin to correlate your system simulation models against test data. When your simulation and test data live in the same environment, you can process them using the same methods - which in turn ensures consistency during data analysis. As we said before, it's all about optimally combining test and simulation.

 

 

 

 


How CAE Value engineers Eric Wendeberg and Kim Bladh use Siemens Simcenter HEEDS and Amesim to design best-balanced hybrid vehicles for a better tomorrow.

 


Why customers choose Simcenter Amesim System Simulation
 

HEEDS and Simcenter Amesim Electric Vehicle Sizing Application

 

 

 

 

 

 

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 Ready to see more?

If you want to learn more about the Amesim app and what it brings to your toolkit,
get in touch and we'll demo and discuss!

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