Capatibility of an atuomotive design tool for the initial and conceptual design phase

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Capatibility of an atuomotive design tool for the initial and conceptual design phase

Sander, Axel / Kress, Holger / Helm, Detlef / Schindler, Volker

A new vehicle's essential physical characteristics and the majority of the life-cycle costs are determined during the initial and conceptual design phases. The results of these early phases are therefore of significant importance for the whole vehicle design process. Due to increasing product complexity, multiple functional requirements and a growing number of derivatives, there is a need for new technical solutions and tools to support the decision-making. A vehicle's essential physical characteristics are defined in parallel to the initial and/or conceptual design phase. CAE tools specifically in the early phases of the design process could thus be beneficial in recognising the complex interrelationships between geometrical parameters and physical characteristics. This paper introduces a conceptual automotive design program, which enables design engineers to compare, evaluate and optimise new car concepts pertaining to functional properties on an abstract level of detail. The computer program's prototype implementation is capable of predicting weight, driving dynamics, crashworthiness, driving performance and fuel consumption for a given vehicle configuration within the initial or conceptual design phase. This system (PrADO) was applied successfully in designing aircraft concepts. In this paper the conceptual automotive design program's methodology and tool implementation are described in conjunction with the architecture and functionality of this system.