Advenced Engine Simulation- Comprehensive CAE Tools Supporting the Engine Development Process

Within the engine development process, the increasing demands in cost and time reduction requires a reliable definition of substantial engine characteristics like fule economy, power and torque performance, emissions, durability and NVH behavior. The intensive and early use of comprehensive CAE tools has become a common and accepted method from the concept phase through the entire engine development process from design restrictions, material properties and engineering targets, in combination with simultaneous design and analysis approach it is even possible to reduce the number of prototype phases. An example of the so called "Mule-engine approach" (elimination of one prototype phas by just one rapid prototype engine) is implemented in the development process of the first Iranian National Engine, the bi-fuel EF7. Providing the engineering support by the application of similtaneose and integrated CAE methods, within the EF7 project the benefits of advanced engine simulation are demonstrated on the high product quality, shortest development time and reduced effort. Especially the interaction and coupling of different simulation methods (1D/3D, FEA/CFD/NVH) have become an important aspect in engineering work, defining a more integrated approach. Nevertheless all necessary analytical investigations like thermo fluid dynamics, NVH (surface mobility simulation), Finite Element Analysis (FEA), MBS, were carried out and contributed to a pre-optimized engine layout. For this integrated and optimized process several items have to be fulfilled, e.g. reduction of costs and time, complete and up-to-date CAE/CAD models and at last the documentation of the simulation results and their recommendations. In the following presentation the benefits of this advanced engine simulation process are highlighted and explained by typical examples.