374 research outputs found
FSSteering: A Distributed Framework for Computational Steering in a Script-based CFD Simulation Environment
No full textIn order to get insight into interesting flow phenomena, the traditional work-flow of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) consists of setting up and computing the flow field followed by a consecutive post-processing analysis. Only after this analysis one can identify parameters that may have been set wrongly in a configuration stage. Once these parameters are corrected, another time-consuming loop has to be started. To identify inadequate parameter settings already during the simulation run, online monitoring concepts were introduced. Combined with computational steering methods, parameter values can additionally be adjusted which eventually reduces the number of required iterations to yield satisfactory results.
At the German Aerospace Center, a comprehensive framework called FlowSimulator has been developed to offer a generic Python-based interface for the management of CFD simulations.
It can easily be enhanced by add-ons. One of these extensions is FSSteering which is described in this paper in more detail.
As a computational steering environment, FSSteering provides functionalities essential for interactive visualization and explorative analysis. Besides existing computational steering environments and frameworks, a user-centred and domain-specific view is proposed. Existing functionality can be reused without rewriting simulation code to enable for effective steering in CFD.
To be more efficient, components of the architecture are distributed across different resources. Whereas the CFD simulation typically runs on a parallel supercomputer, the visualization is carried out on a high-performance virtual reality system which allows interactive data exploration. The post-processing in between can be performed on the supercomputer or on a separate parallelization cluster.
But it is also possible to switch between different existing post-processing toolkits. This is just possible because of the very flexible configuration management of the distributed steering framework. We will demonstrate the steering capabilities and the system flexibility by two current research examples. An outlook for future steps concludes this paper
Automated Sensitivity Analysis in Early Space Mission Design
No full textConcurrent Engineering in space mission design features several hundred design parameters provided by more than a dozen domain experts. The quality of the design strongly depends on the individual expertise of the people in the team, their experience and collaboration. As part of the design team, a moderator guides the study. In order to bring the study forward, he must have a good overview, ask the design team the right questions and trigger the next actions while keeping the study objectives in mind. The system design evolves quickly; major changes to the baseline are frequent and have to be taken into account. In this dynamic process it is desirable to quickly identify all the effects of a design change throughout the whole system. The paper presents an automated sensitivity analysis approach to evaluate the current design. This analysis can be used directly during the study to identify design drivers and relationships between individual design parameters. The sensitivity data helps to focus on the right components or subsystems and to guide the design process in a well-founded way. The paper explains the implementation of the automated sensitivity analysis algorithm based on a shared system data model, which is capable of holding all the necessary parameters and equations. The implementation in the DLR software Virtual Satellite and the interaction with the user is discussed. A comprehensible example of laying out the fuel tank of a spacecraft shows how the sensitivity analysis can be interpreted and how it can help to improve the design quality. The same example is later used to point out the local relevance of the sensitivity results. In this case, one design parameter is successively changed by three orders of magnitude. Looking at the sensitivity values in each step, the impact of one parameter is completely shifted to another parameter. This effect is the result of the associated dimension of the design parameters. A second implementation calculating dimensionless sensitivity coefficients is then used to create quantifiable results that allow for comparison between the design parameters. In the concluding section on future work we discuss how the automated sensitivity analysis can be used during an actual Concurrent Engineering study with several hundred design parameters
Design Model Data Exchange Between Concurrent Engineering Facilities by Means of Model Transformation
No full textThe German Aerospace Center (DLR) is developing the software Virtual Satellite for use in their Concurrent Engineering Facility. Throughout the design process
of a spacecraft the software supports engineers to store and manage the data and results of their engineering sessions. The European Cooperation for Space Standardization (ECSS) is promoting a new technical memorandum for model based data exchange across the facilities. In order to enable data exchange from Virtual Satellite's own model representation to the ECSS specification, a transformation based on a triple-graph grammar has been applied. This approach allows engineers to import and export design information from the ECSS model. In addition, the grammar allows for synchronization of two instantiated models
Open Source Software Framework for Applications in Aeronautics and Space
No full textThe DLR developed the open source software framework
RCE to support the collaborative and distributed work in
the shipyard industry. From a technology side of view a software
from the shipbuilding field has many requirements in common
with aerospace software projects. Accordingly, RCE has become
the basis for further projects within the DLR. Over the last years
of usage a subset of frequently used software components could
be derived and are provided by the RCE framework. In particular,
the workflow engine, allowing the integration of different
domain-specific tools from local and remote locations into one
overall calculation has become important for various projects.
We present RCE and show how its software components are
reused in two aerospace applications
3D State Decomposition Modeling Method for MBSE in Space Engineering
No full textThe increasing number of space missions and the market environment make it mandatory that the design process and design models have to be reused in future space missions. As
a solution to such a reuse problem, Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) is highly recommended. Since constructing a model is the first step to reach MBSE, a 3D state decomposition modeling method is proposed in this paper. Starting from Technical Requirements (TRs), the method maps them to state variables and defines states as well as relations along three red lines of space engineering: internal subsystem, inter-subsystems, and space mission lifecycle. Eventually, it yields decomposition of a space system into a hierarchical three-dimensional model of states. Relying on the Eclipse Modeling Framework (EMF), the model can be described and stored in a standardized format, which allows the reuse of once defined models in subsequent space missions. This study leads to a novel MBSE solution to implement specification, analysis, design, and operation of space mission systems in a unified framework
Concurrent Engineering Software Development at German Aerospace Center -Status and Outlook-
No full textAdaptive AI in Concurrent Engineering: A Paradigm Shift in Design and Integration
No full textThis paper explores the potential of advanced technologies to redefine the way we engage with tools in the domain of Concurrent Engineering (CE). CE represents a paradigm shift from traditional sequential design processes, enabling multidisciplinary teams to work simultaneously on various project aspects. This collaborative approach minimizes delays, enhances integration, and fosters innovation in design methodologies. Central to this work is the transition from the conventional model of “humans adapting to technology” to one where “technology adapts to humans”. This paper focuses on the application of Large Language Models (LLMs) within Concurrent Engineering environments, proposing a conceptual approach to investigate their potential capability to process voice recordings and textual documentation to generate structured and reliable knowledge bases for end-user applications. This work investigates potential approaches for the creation of a versatile framework that, together with specialized applications built on top of it, can effectively manage and store highly unstructured information within a graph-based knowledge representation. Such applications range from requirements elicitation, validation, interpretation, to the integration of autonomously extracted knowledge into Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) tools. This structured repository is thought to be subsequently utilized by the same applications to support advanced reasoning tasks, enhancing their contextual understanding and functionality across the project lifecycle. This research examines the practical implications of integrating LLMs and outlines future research directions to maximize their effectiveness in CE environments. By exploring how innovative tools can alleviate cognitive overload, this study aims to propose a viable solution for enhancing engineering practices while simultaneously developing a generalizable framework applicable to other engineering domains. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2025
A Framework to Model Metadata for Knowledge Management Tools
No full textIn recent years many kinds of knowledge management tools are being developed. Most of them have in common that they provide an interface to acquire artifacts along with a certain set of metadata. In this paper, a new framework is presented to model metadata for knowledge management tools and to generate metadata-related program code from this model for different components of the target tool. These components include graphical user interfaces for desktop applications, data base schemes, and metadata-related web client code. Finally, two applications from the knowledge management domain are presented, where this framework is successfully integrated to reduce development time substantially
APPARC - High Level Languages
No full textions. APPARC Deliverable HLL3. VEREECKEN, H., LINDENMAYER, G., KUHR, A., BASSERMAN, A., AND GERNDT, M. 1993. Behaviour of Pollutants in Geological Systems. In Applications on KFA's Intel iPSC/860, (Eds. R. Esser and R. 34300 ZAM-IB-9218, KFAJuelich, Germany. WOLTERS, L., AND CATS, G. 1992. A Parallel Implementation of 4 HIRLAM Model. Proceedings 5th ECMWF Workshop on the use of Parallel Processorsr Meteorology, Reading, UK/Technical Report port Dept.of Computer Science, Leiden University, The Netherlands. WOLTERS, L., CATS, G., AND GUSTAFSSON, N. 1994. Limited Area Numerical Weather Forecasting on a Massively Parallel allel 32 Proceedings ACM 8th International Conference on Supercomputng percomputng England), pp 289-296. YOKOTE, Y., AND TOKORO, M. 1986. The design and implementation of ConcurrentSmalltalk. Proceedings OOPSLA, ACM SIGPLAN Notices, 21 (11), pp 331-340. YONEZAWA, A., BRIOT, J.-P., AND SHIBAYAMA, E. 381 Object-oriented concurrent programming in ABCL/1. Proceedingsroceed A..
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