Abstract

The increasingly shorter development cycles for electrified drivetrains demand methods that allow for rapid acoustic evaluation of design decisions. Simulation techniques such as the Finite Element Method (FEM) and elastic multibody simulation (eMBS) are widely employed to numerically optimize the NVH performance of drivetrains and their components. However, geometric design modifications require substantial modeling and computational effort. As a result, minimizing the total modeling and simulation time for acoustic evaluations of designs during product development has become a primary objective.

This presentation displays a method for automating the modeling and simulation workflow for structural dynamic eMBS models to efficiently perform structural dynamic optimizations at the component level in the FEM domain and to evaluate these optimizations at the drivetrain level using an eMBS model of an electric drivetrain. The proposed approach involves a consistent modeling syntax enabling automation of all modeling steps required in FEM and eMBS domains.

To enhance efficiency, an iSight model orchestrates topology optimization and modal reduction in Abaqus, generating flexible bodies in Simpack and automatically updating the eMBS system model of an electrified drivetrain. Due to the high computational demands of simulating a complete transient run-up in the eMBS domain, an advanced parallelization strategy has been implemented, achieving a reduction of over 90% in absolute simulation time.

With this proposed method, engineers can efficiently evaluate geometric design modifications of electric drivetrains using eMBS system models within a single day. This capability allows them to remain competitive in highly iterative development processes.

Slide deck

Presenter Bio

Julius Müller studied Mechanical Engineering at Leibniz University Hannover from 2015 to 2018. In early 2021, he earned his Masters degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Technical University of Braunschweig. For his master's thesis, he focused on the vibroacoustic analysis of joints in wind turbines at Enercon.

Since 2021, Mr. Müller has been working as a research assistant in the Noise, Vibration, and Harshness (NVH) group within the Systems Engineering - Modeling and Optimization department at MSE. In this role, he is engaged in the numerical and experimental analysis of electrified drivetrains and the identification of NVH-optimal powertrain concepts.

The primary objective of his research is to develop design guidelines for structurally robust electrified drivetrains, incorporating manufacturing tolerances and macroscopic design features to address the excitabilty, transfer path and sound radiation of the drivetrain.