Why System Simulation?

Any engineer, from small or corporate enterprises, can create and solve sophisticated design tasks and dynamic calculations with a clear modeling concept – without detailed knowledge in programming or the need to be skilled across all sorts of physical domains.

Virtual experiments with dynamic, nonlinear behavior of entire systems

Wherever FEM and CFD analyses deliver accurate predictions about individual components and assemblies, dynamic system simulation examines time-dependent processes of the entire system. Such systems can also consist of components from different technical domains. The method of discrete networks combines the individual components (elements), which themselves can contain sub-components, through physical connections. This creates an abstract simulation model with varying complexity consisting of many elements and connections from various physical domains.

SimulationX model of an automatic transmission Virtual commissioning
Rapidness

Ways to speed up your daily routine

Why simulation? By using simulation software, you can minimize the need for measurements, overcome the limitations of spreadsheets, run variation calculations in no time and ensure early on the functionality of your design.

Computer simulations for multiphysics systems can be run from anywhere, are independent of changing environments and can be scaled to almost any requirement: from microscopically small to very large. Input parameters are strictly defined and controllable. The virtual experiment can be reproduced indefinitely.

Virtual modeling can help you calculate and visualize also complex systems as a dedicated simulation software is specially designed for this very purpose. The user interface, the modeling process and the result analysis of such development tools are optimized for simulating multiphysics systems. The solver algorithms are especially suited for physical equations and can thus deal also with nonlinear equation systems. Discrete networks and a graphical user interface keep your model logically structured and easy to work with. You can also couple them with Microsoft Excel most of the time.

In a virtual environment, it is much easier to change parameters, such as load and excitation, but also system properties, than under real conditions. This enables you to try out a great number of various options with the help of system simulation in no time.

The better you identify occurring loads on individual parts or assemblies, the better you can optimize your design. Simulate your draft designs: Assess what requirements must be met by individual components. This helps you evaluate and dimension alternative layouts spot on. By transferring certain properties as parameters back onto your simulation model, you also verify the correct functionality of our layout.

Efficiency

Increase efficiency, precision and safety of your products through simulation

System simulation helps you increase performance and energy efficiency of your product, optimize vibrational behavior, reduce potential risk to health and safety and back up planned investments.

In an efficient system, all components are perfectly tuned like a Swiss clockwork. Each element contributes to a smooth interaction. Energy consumption drops when overdesign is avoided and valuable resources can be saved. Simulation and modeling makes quick comparisons of various layouts possible, which allows you to find the most suitable parameter configuration.

Want to prevent losses and vibrations in the drive system through optimal tuning of all components? There is a way. With the help of simulations, you get a clearer picture of the potential measures that may increase the performance of your machinery. By eliminating undesirable vibrations, for instance, you can maximize the performance spectrum your machine.

A system with a low level of vibration and a control structure that fits perfectly with the machine reduces the motion tolerance. Moreover, it allows for smoother and more accurate movements. Frequencies and amplitudes undesirable vibrations can be easily identified and analyzed through simulation. Causes and effects can be easily identified and analyzed through simulations. You also see quick results about the effectiveness of damping measures. Especially complex systems have a great potential to reduce vibrations and avoid critical frequencies through structural changes. With virtual system simulation, you can compare the results for several variants in no time to find the most suitable solution for your requirements. 

Simulations help you master vibrations in the powertrain and thus help increase not only the level of precision of your machine. Another advantage is the noticeably smoother operation of the machine. Apart from insulation, a reduced level of vibration is the most effective way for lower noise emissions.

Once you know the behavior of your machine under extreme conditions, you can take appropriate measures for the safety of human lives and of your machinery. Virtual system simulation permits tests for the most extreme situations without putting health and safety of human lives at risk. Moreover, virtual testing offers considerable saving potential compared to real test scenarios. SimulationX comes with convenient tools for such purposes in order to track and analyze effects of failures in detail, for example as fault tree analysis. This allows you to evaluate the real benefit of redundant components and to identify the most influential factors on the system’s safety and reliability.

ESI ITI simulation solutions – made in Dresden, used throughout the world

We make sure that everything works just the way it was envisioned – over the last 25 years more than 700 customers around the world from across all sorts of industries have come to appreciate our services.

Simulation solutions

Any engineer can solve sophisticated design tasks with ease

The multiphysics simulation software “SimulationX for Beginners” does NOT require any programming knowledge nor do you need to be in expert across all physical domains.

SimulationX for Beginners

The one-stop shop for simulation software and engineering services

Benefit from the unique combination of engineering expertise and know-how in software development. Together we pull out all the stops in your product development.

one-stop shop
Optimization

 

 

System simulation development process System simulation development process

For an optimized product development

Decisions made early on in the design phase (e.g. on alternative designs) have the biggest impact on development and production costs as well as on the product’s properties. Necessary changes which are identified rather late in the product development incur much higher costs and may jeopardize a tight schedule.

Based on the principle of “front loading”, system simulation allows for early evaluations of modifications to the overall product. Already during the design phase, it is possible to see whether an idea complies with the required product properties. Thanks to virtual tests, products can be released to the market much earlier, which in turn frees up resources for new tasks.

Conformity

Facing the challenge of meeting new standards and regulations

New legislation and new standards are intended to ensure safety and energy efficiency of technical systems. This concerns virtually any industry from the automotive and machinery sectors, to power generation and building systems technology. Safety relevant powertrains must be analyzed for occurring vibrations and demonstrate that they comply with regulations. A lot of companies have gathered a particular expertise in their core competency over the years. Efforts to improve energy efficiency, such as controlled energy flows and recuperation, however, remain challenging.

System simulation can help integrate the necessary modifications in products and processes quickly:

  • Identify the parameter that has the biggest impact on energy consumption (question: Where does a new development make sense?)
  • Test various alternative layouts to reduce energy consumption of your machine (question: Which investment yields what benefits?)
  • Design intelligent control systems based on a simulation model
Continuity

You are looking for a tool that supports you throughout the entire development process from the initial idea to the final product?

From a rough sketch to the detailed layout: Once the overall concept has been specified, all of the sub-systems, components and required controls need to be developed. Similar to the ongoing progress in the development, simple simulation models with just a few parameters can be replaced by more detailed ones with more accurate behavior. The level of detail, which is to be analyzed, is almost infinite. Information about acting loads, necessary power and other requirements for individual components can be gathered from the simulation results of the overall model.

  • With a simple principle model, you can easily check feasibility of your initial ideas and designs. With the help of ready-made component models, you can quickly build a first rough system model. At this stage, there are only a few parameters needed to define the components’ properties.

  • The more specific your layout becomes and the further the development process progresses, the more detailed your system model becomes. The more parameters you have available, the better you can analyze the physical interactions between the individual assemblies and the behavior of the entire system.

  • Connect SimulationX with Microsoft Excel

    Learn more about Pfreundt, the specialist for mobile weighing systems, and how they use the MS Office interface to output simulation results and generate automatic reports.

    about Pfreundt's project

  • System simulation in the automotive industry

    With SimulationX Krauss-Maffei Wegmann simulates and tests off-road vehicles in virtual reality

    about KMW's project
    • Real-time simulation

    You are looking for a tool to overcome the separation between software and hardware simulations?

    Want to test individual, already existing physical components for real load cases without having to wait for a prototype of the overall product to be available? So-called in-the-loop methods, such software in the loop (SiL) and hardware in the loop (HiL), let you connect programmable control units for example through a field bus to a virtual plant or machine model. Even gearboxes can be tested in a simulation model of a powertrain through a software-hardware interface.

    Benefits of system simulation:

    • Save time: As you can start developing and testing individual components already during the design phase, you do not need to wait for a prototype to be built.
    • Improve safety: You can test also critical scenarios, such as emergency shutdowns or disastrous situations, without putting human lives or any machinery at risk.
    • Test series with the same boundary conditions can be repeated as often as necessary.