MOTOR created novel CAE technologies to accurately model the complex geometries of the four industrial use cases and perform geometry-aware simulation and optimization. This includes the development of adaptive THB-splines, a template mapping approach and free-from deformation techniques for creating and manipulating volumetric parameterizations as well as hybrid volume meshes without intensive manual work. Moreover, structural mechanics and fluid flow solvers have been implemented in the open-source G+Smo (
https://github.com/gismo/gismo(opens in new window)) library in the framework of Isogeometric Analysis forming the basis for geometry-aware multi-physics simulations. These tools are complemented by two new optimization strategies: The CAD-based adjoint method complements the idea of geometry-aware simulation and enables gradient-based optimization with respect to the design parameters; the hybrid approach combines gradient-based and gradient-free methods and enables efficient exploration of large design spaces without ending up in local optima.
The new CAE technologies have been integrated into the partners’ workflows. Demonstrators have been developed with the aid of the new tools and the improvement of the product qualities has been analyzed. Moreover, the effectiveness of the modernized workflows in terms of reduced amount of manual work, shorter time-to-production, and reduction in computational resources needed has been assessed.
Computing times and the amount of manual work have been significantly reduced in all four use cases. The improved geometry modelling and optimization techniques have enabled the creation of an improved design of a particular part of a commercial aircraft engine. Likewise, the free-form deformation approach was successfully employed to reduce the preparation and calculation time making high-fidelity automated optimization of ship propellers attractive for industrial usage. An optimization loop based on low-fidelity methods has been developed and demonstrated to produce competitive propeller designs at significantly reduced computational costs thereby reducing the time-to-production by orders of magnitude. A brand-new design, analysis and multi-stage optimization workflow for Kaplan and Francis water turbines has been realized in the framework of Isogeometric Analysis that reduces the amount of manual work and generates improved turbine designs. Finally, new and innovative computational tools for modeling and optimizing screw rotor geometries – with constant and variable lead – have been developed and used to create the world’s first air compressor with dual-lead rotor technology delivering a considerable efficiency improvement as compared to constant lead machines.
The outcome of the MOTOR project has been disseminated to the different target groups in academia and industry by more than 110 papers, presentations, posters, training materials and press-releases. Several special dissemination events with high impact in the particular communities have been organized by the MOTOR partners. These include the VKI lecture series on Optimization and Multidisciplinary Design 2016 and 2018, the VKI workshop on Turbomachinery Aerodynamics and Multidisciplinary Optimization 2016, a booth at Daimler EDM CAE Forum 2017, the 3rd International Conference on Isogeometric Analysis and Applications 2018, and the 10th International Conference on Screw Machines 2018. To disseminate the results among the MOTOR consortium partners, three G+Smo developer days have been organized in 2015, 2017 and 2018.
The modernized design workflows and the resulting products will be exploited commercially by the relevant project partners. Company ESS integrated the improved mesh generation capabilities into their MERGE software. Geometry modelling and IgA-based simulation and visualization techniques are available in the open-source G+Smo library, whose professional development will continue after the end of the project. The MOTOR results consolidated in G+Smo will be exploited in ongoing and forthcoming research, education and consultancy activities. The MOTOR partners MARIN and VKI moreover exploit the results in their in-house developed software tools.
