Simulation Depict complex processes in a time-saving manner

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Fraunhofer-Institut für Techno- und Wirtschaftsmathematik ITWM

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Simulations and digital twins are indispensable for many companies. Because highly dynamic processes often cannot be satisfactorily depicted with conventional software, Fraunhofer researchers have developed a solution with the tool Meshfree that works without a rigid computational grid. For this they are awarded the Joseph von Fraunhofer Prize 2024.

Rigid specifications rarely fit agile processes - what applies to organizations also applies to simulation methods. If complex processes such as aquaplaning or the machining of metal are to be depicted virtually, not all movements of the components can be predicted in advance and set up in a suitable computational grid, as is usually used for simulations.

Meshfree replaces the real experiment.

This is the challenge that a research group at the Fraunhofer ITWM faced over 20 years ago. "Our very first task in the project team was to simulate the deployment of an airbag during a vehicle crash," reports Dr. Jörg Kuhnert, who was already part of the group at that time. "Apart from real crash tests, which are expensive, there was no way to quickly check the safety of new developments in this area at that time." Because: The more objects move and interact with each other in a situation, the more difficult it is to reliably depict them with classic simulation methods at a reasonable cost.

Based on the dissertation by Jörg Kuhnert, the team - since 2012 also with the participation of Dr. Isabel Michel with a focus on free jet turbines - therefore developed the grid-free approach. All research results achieved since then have been incorporated into the Meshfree software tool. The result is a simulation tool with a so-called unique selling proposition: No other simulation tool worldwide makes the Generalized Finite Difference Method (GFDM) industrially applicable.

Flexible method for dynamic processes.

• Classically, the finite element method is used in simulations: Engineers construct a grid suitable for the respective geometry and calculate the changes in each individual element based on this. Setting up the grid structure is very time-consuming; it also needs to be adjusted again and again during the simulation.

• In contrast, the Meshfree software combines the Generalized Finite Difference Method for solving the conservation equations for mass, momentum and energy with efficient algorithms for solving linear equation systems, which were co-developed by the Fraunhofer Institute for Algorithms and Scientific Computing SCAI - a huge advantage, because the numerical point cloud used is able to flexibly adapt to moving geometries. Complex post-corrections in the calculation grid are eliminated.

For their development, which can replace real tests, Dr. Jörg Kuhnert and Dr. Isabel Michel receive the Joseph von Fraunhofer Prize 2024.

From automotive to process engineering - and beyond.

In principle, the method can be used wherever measurements or tests are to be replaced or work poorly or not at all.

• A current focus is in the automotive sector: In addition to the airbag simulation, the researchers have so far been able to support their industrial partners with models of water crossings or the behavior of vehicles on sand or gravel, among other things.

• In process engineering, Meshfree helped companies optimize process parameters in the processing of molten glass and the production of plastic parts.

Isabel Michel summarizes: "We are not fixated on the classic use cases of numerical fluid mechanics. Meshfree can do much more: The tool is deliberately kept generic."