I once wrote an optimization program which found the best fillet size, thickness and angle of a two dimensional cantilever beam with a given load. It took three days to write. What I’m about to show you took me 30 minutes. It makes use of real geometry and doesn’t require programing! Enter simulation automation…

Let’s consider a scenario. You work for an amusement park ride manufacturer. Your company has begun to streamline their design process. (Good idea if you ask me.) The company would like your team to design components which will be interchangeable (like Erector Set parts). The designer you work with calls himself an artist. He wears leather pants. His ideas are nutty. It’s up to you to make real decisions. He comes to you with the part seen below and says, with a blank stare, “To date, this is my best work. Try not to taint it.”

The company will be making thousands of these parts which will be made from cast carbon steel. It is designed to hold pipes and should carry at least 3000 lbs.

Decision: you decide that the part should have a safety factor of two. (The stress should not be higher than 120 MPa.) This means that the part should be able to hold at least 6000 lbs. without failing.

You setup an initial study to benchmark the current design.

Take pride in your work. You make a difference.  People listen to your designs.