STEP AP209 File-Based Automated FE Analysis and Simulation Based on Data Stored in 3-D CAD Models

Abstract

In the modern product-based industry, it becomes essential to communicate and coordinate activities in design, analysis, and manufacturing domains for the overall development of the product using Model-Based Design (MBD). In recent years, efforts have been intensified toward the integration of the CAD/CAM/CAE system based on data and semantics of STEP neutral files for aiding automation. In this work, STEP AP209 file-based automated CAD-FEM is proposed. AP209 file contains both CAD and CAE data entities and can host many Simulation Data Management (SDM) capabilities with provision for sharing, archiving, and exchanging multi-disciplinary design and simulation data. In this work, a smart design and analyses system using Python programming language was developed that would parse the Part 21 file of STEP AP209, extract FEM related data, subdivide the domain into suitable elements (tetrahedral and hexahedral for 3-D analysis and triangular elements for 2-D analysis) and perform FEM analyses. The proposed framework for automated CAD integrated FEM application is demonstrated using four case studies using the part 21 file extracted from STEP AP209 files of 3-D CAD models. The obtained results based on automated FEM analyses using the developed program are compared with the output of a conventional FEM software-ABAQUS for the same kind of input data.