This conference paper was submitted for presentation at the NAFEMS World Congress 2025, held in Salzburg, Austria from May 19–22, 2025.

Abstract

Simulation in the context of using numerical solutions to represent a physical equation and /or phenomenon has been used for various purposes including research and development for decades. Some industries, such as aviation and automotive, are already using simulation to support the Certification process. In other industries (Industrial products and consumer products) Regulators and Certification Schemes are just about to start to accept simulation. However, Certifications are typically based on physical tests rather than simulation. The need for shorter R&D cycles is increasing. Many means to reduce the R&D cycle has been exhausted. The next step is to reduce prototypes by running 'virtual tests' instead of 'physical tests'. A simulation that has been fully validated and verified can be a part of that journey of 'virtual tests' and hence be one element to reduce physical tests and reduce the number of prototypes. To maintain a similar level of rigor as accepted for physical tests the simulations need to be verified and validated using approaches described in ASME and NAFEMS documents to establish credibility. To issue Certifications or other Compliance statements those validations need to be embedded into a framework suitable for Certification process. This paper describes this framework and gives a use case of a Siemens variable frequency drive (VFD) where that approach has been successfully applied for the temperature rise test. One key element is to embed one or multiple Verification and Validation including an Uncertainty Quantifications following call Full V&V'™s into a framework with so called Fast Track V&V'™s where no physical test is required. The Full V&V'™s and the Fast Track V&V'™s are combined with Engineering Judgement to lead to a Certification or Compliance statement. This framework is powerful especially in the process of Certification of large series of products with several frame sizes, series of products with large permutation of variances based upon a building block system or for products with many small modifications during the lifecycle like electronic based products.