The application of KBE techniques to the FE model creation of an automotive body structure

An integral part of the design route for an automotive body structure is the analysis of it using finite element (FE) techniques. The creation of a model for the FE analysis of such a structure is a very time consuming process. However, the geometry, FE mesh and boundary conditions for the analysis are generically the same each time no matter the size or type of the vehicle. This paper describes the design analysis response tool (DART) created to investigate the application of knowledge based engineering (KBE) techniques for the automation of the FE model creation process for such a structure.