The effort required for the management of simulation data is increasing with the amount and complexity of information that is manipulated in the Computer Aided Engineering (CAE) context. Implementation of Product Data Management (PDM) today is largely restricted to product design, where Computer Aided Design (CAD) tools have relatively homogeneous information content.

Integration across different domains such as design and simulation opens a completely new level of complexity not addressed today. Currently, little to no PDM is used in the simulation domain and the variety of simulation tools tends to become complex with no common way existing to share CAE information across these tools.

This publication describes a scalable solution for the management of CAE data that can be implemented step-wise and integrates existing processes and applications using proven and industry strength concepts and tools.

Contents

1 Introduction

2 State of the Art and Trends for the Future

3 The Challenges of CAE Data Management

3.1 Make CAE Information Referable

3.2 Maintain a Product Context for CAE Information

3.3 Keep Inter-relations of CAE Information with other Domains

3.4 Manage CAE Information during the Product Lifecycle

4 Roadmap for the Implementation of CAE Data Management

5 Components of a Solution

5.1 Simulation Tool Integration - Make CAE Information Referable

5.1.1 Simulation Tool Integration at Application Level

5.2 PDM for CAE - Maintain a Product Context for CAE Information

5.2.1 Application of PDM as a Structured Simulation Data File Management Tool

5.2.2 Providing Simulation with Non-Geometrical Information

5.3 Inter-domain Integration - Keep Inter-relations of CAE Information with other Domains

5.3.1 Managing Relationships between CAD and CAE – Introduction of a View Concept

5.3.2 Providing Simulation with Design Information

5.3.3 Administration and Provision of Analysis Results

5.4 PLM for CAE – Managing Simulation Data during the Product Lifecycle

5.4.1 Documenting Design Reference States for Simulation

5.4.2 Change Management for the Design Reference Basis

5.4.3 Reconciliation of Simulation Results and Design Reference Basis

6 Conclusions