Integrated Development Environment for EME Model Traceability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current approaches to building electromagnetic effects (EME) models for structural products, such as aircraft, are time-consuming, lack traceability, and are not scalable for complex designs with thousands of fasteners and cable bundles, often requiring manual data conversion and not tying back to authoritative design data.
Innovation Solution
An integrated development environment that leverages model-based approaches for EME modeling, guiding users through a workflow with graphical tools to access and transform authoritative data into EME models, automate challenging aspects, and provide traceability from data to results, enabling efficient and accurate modeling with improved meshing and simulation capabilities.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If manual data conversion and model building approaches are used, then flexibility in model creation is maintained, but modeling time increases significantly and productivity decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by automatically importing authoritative design data (CAD models, BOMs, fastener definitions, cable definitions) and pre-processing them into structured formats before EME analysis is needed. This includes automatically creating initial EME models, performing mesh generation, and preparing simulation inputs, thereby eliminating manual data conversion steps and significantly reducing modeling time while maintaining accuracy through direct use of authoritative sources
Solution Approach 2:
The system creates and uses templates for EME models that can be copied and reused across different analyses. Once an EME model is created from authoritative data, it can be replicated and modified for various electromagnetic threat scenarios without recreating the model from scratch each time. This copying capability dramatically improves productivity by reducing repetitive manual work while maintaining consistency across models
2Manufacturing precision
If detailed models with thousands of fasteners and cable bundles are created manually, then model accuracy is improved, but scalability is reduced and device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements a universal platform that handles multiple types of structural products (aircraft, vehicles, buildings) and various EME threat scenarios through a single integrated environment. The authoritative data import capability works with different CAD formats and product types, while the EME model templates can be adapted to various electromagnetic analyses (lightning, radiated EMF, conducted EMF). This universality enables the system to scale across different applications without sacrificing model accuracy or requiring separate manual processes for each case
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses parameterized EME models where key characteristics (fastener spacing, cable bundle configurations, material properties) are defined as parameters that can be automatically extracted from authoritative design data. By changing these parameters rather than manually redrawing models, the system can accurately represent detailed structures with thousands of fasteners and cables while maintaining scalability. The parameterized approach allows automated updates when design changes occur
3Reliability
If manual model building processes are used, then ease of operation is maintained for simple cases, but traceability and reliability of models decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements automated feedback mechanisms that track and record the entire modeling process from authoritative data to EME model to simulation results. Version control automatically tracks changes to models and their sources, and the system provides feedback on model quality, mesh adequacy, and parameter consistency. This automated feedback ensures traceability without requiring manual documentation, while the system guides users through the process to maintain ease of operation
Solution Approach 2:
The system introduces an intermediary automated processing layer between the authoritative design data and the EME analysis requirements. This intermediary automatically performs data validation, format conversion, model generation, and quality checks, ensuring traceability through automated record-keeping while shielding users from complex manual processes. The intermediary maintains the digital thread that connects all model elements back to their authoritative sources without requiring users to manually establish these connections
Data Source
AI summary
An apparatus for designing a structural product includes memory to store computer-readable program code for an integrated development environment to establish a digital thread in a lifecycle of the structural product, and processing circuitry to execute the computer-readable program code. The apparatus is thereby caused to generate a graphical user interface from which the integrated development environment is accessible to cause the apparatus to generate an electromagnetic effects (EME) model of the structural product from authoritative data including a solid model of the structural product, and parameterize the EME model with one or more electrical properties. The apparatus is caused to produce a computational electromagnetics (CEM) model of the structural product from the parameterized EME model, perform a CEM analysis from the CEM model to generate a corresponding solution is generated, and post-process the corresponding solution.