Megacasting
Optimised utilising
Recent advances in manufacturing and a drive to reduce the costs of production have led to the introduction and adoption of mega castings in vehicle body shells. Typically aluminium, these replace multiple parts, reducing assembly time and providing opportunities for weight saving. Vehicles sold worldwide must meet a variety of often conflicting requirements to meet safety and performance targets which makes the development of mega castings complex and the lack of flexibility in their construction makes them expensive to change should issues be found during testing.
Vectayn utilises the multi-disciplinary optimisation tool Enlighten™. This solver allows its users to understand and develop the system load paths, package and core construction followed by detailed optimisation to refine the design, whilst minimising the risks in development.
Megacasting
Optimised utilising
Recent advances in manufacturing and a drive to reduce the costs of production have led to the introduction and adoption of mega castings in vehicle body shells. Typically aluminium, these replace multiple parts, reducing assembly time and providing opportunities for weight saving. Vehicles sold worldwide must meet a variety of often conflicting requirements to meet safety and performance targets which makes the development of mega castings complex and the lack of flexibility in their construction makes them expensive to change should issues be found during testing.
Vectayn utilises the multi-disciplinary optimisation tool Enlighten™. This solver allows its users to understand and develop the system load paths, package and core construction followed by detailed optimisation to refine the design, whilst minimising the risks in development.
Baseline Model
Vectayn Megacasting Model
Baseline Model
Vectayn Megacasting Model
The analysis was conducted to FMVSS305 Rear Impact Requirements. A baseline set of results were taken on a model comprising a traditional pressed metal/spot welded assembly and these were used as design parameters for the subsequent optimisation. A design volume was developed with a view to replacing many of the rear underbody pressings with a single megacasting. An optimisation analysis was conducted with a view to minimise mass whilst delivering a comparable performance to the pressed metal baseline simulation.
Baseline
Vectayn Megacasting
Animation superimposes the megacasting optimisation simulation over the verification FMVSS305 full crash simulation.
The megacasting replaced 33 fabricated parts. The optimisation simulation generated a 12kg mass reduction when compared to the baseline simulation whilst matching the crash performance.
Animation superimposes the megacasting optimisation simulation over the verification FMVSS305 full crash simulation.
The megacasting replaced 33 fabricated parts. The optimisation simulation generated a 12kg mass reduction when compared to the baseline simulation whilst matching the crash performance.