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Concept
Computer-aided engineering
Summary
Computer-aided engineering can be defined as the general usage of technology to aid in tasks related to engineering analysis. Any use of technology to solve or assist engineering issues falls under this umbrella.
Following alongside the consistent improvement in computer graphics and speed, computer aid assists engineers with once complicated and time consuming tasks with the input of information and a press of a button.
It includes finite element analysis (FEA), computational fluid dynamics (CFD), multibody dynamics (MBD), durability and optimization. It is included with computer-aided design (CAD) and computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) in the collective abbreviation "CAx".
The term CAE has been used to describe the use of computer technology within engineering in a broader sense than just engineering analysis. It was in this context that the term was coined by Jason Lemon, founder of SDRC in the late 1970s. This definition is however better known today by the terms CAx and PLM.
CAE systems are individually considered a single node on a total information network and each node may interact with other nodes on the network.
CAE areas covered include:
Stress analysis on components and assemblies using finite element analysis (FEA);
Thermal and fluid flow analysis computational fluid dynamics (CFD);
Multibody dynamics (MBD) and kinematics;
Analysis tools for process simulation for operations such as casting, molding, and die press forming;
Optimization of the product or process.
In general, there are three phases in any computer-aided engineering task:
Pre-processing – defining the model and environmental factors to be applied to it (typically a finite element model, but facet, voxel, and thin sheet methods are also used);
Analysis solver (usually performed on high powered computers);
Post-processing of results (using visualization tools).
This cycle is iterated, often many times, either manually or with the use of commercial optimization software.
CAE tools are widely used in the automotive industry.
Official source
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