Traditionally, Jaguar had a discrete analysis department who were recreating the geometry of the suspension components from drawings in their own geometry modelling systems which were focused on the creation of Finite Element models. This piece of work was undertaken to show Jaguar the benefits of using the CAD geometry directly to improve quality and turnaround time for every analysis they undertook.
Mapped meshing tools were used in the Jaguar CAD system to generate Finite Element models directly which were then analyzed, from within the CAD tool using external Finite Element solvers (NASTRAN). The results were then post processed, again, within the CAD tool to highlight displacements and stresses directly to the design engineer.
Using these techniques within the CAD environment, whilst initially resisted by the Analysis Dept, it was possible to show how the bottlenecks to quality analysis during the design phase of a new vehicle could be alleviated by providing the necessary tools to Design Engineers allowing the dedicated Engineering Analyst to focus on some of the more advanced analysis necessary. By putting in place the required business processes the design lead times were significantly reduced.
I was a champion of and made many conference presentations in the early days of the NAFEMS organization for bringing the Finite Element techniques into the world of the Design Engineer. This is now a widely accepted practice. In this case I worked very closely with the Analysis Teams and the Design Team as well as Engineering Management to define and implement the necessary processes at Jaguar to enable them to realize the benefits of this approach.
