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Real Environmental Data In Real Time For Simulations

Virtual vehicle development is becoming increasingly important. Researchers at Fraunhofer are offering a system that takes into account realistic environmental influences like road surface, weather and driving maneuvers in driving simulations. © Fraunhofer ITWM

Virtual vehicle development is becoming increasingly important. Researchers at Fraunhofer are offering a system that takes into account realistic environmental influences like road surface, weather and driving maneuvers in driving simulations. © Fraunhofer ITWM 

In computer aided vehicle engineering, you need accurate data on various environmental influences. This is the only way developers can conduct tests that simulate the experience of a real car. At Hannover Messe, researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute presented a quick and inexpensive system that collects real data at normal driving speeds and processes this data in real time as fine-grained and coarse-grained data for 3D driving simulations. 

Engineering departments at large automotive companies today use simulation when conducting virtual tests during the development phase of their new vehicle designs. This involves computing the physical properties of the cars in advance, which significantly shortens the often year-long testing loops with real test vehicles. For example, this is already being done in testing passive safety, acoustics, durability and reliability and for energy efficiency, fuel consumption and carbon emissions. At present, a vehicle can be simulated very well using software tools.

However, it is difficult to simulate environmental influences that have a significant effect on the automobile while driving, such as street conditions, weather and driving maneuvers. Experts often work with assumptions rather than with actual data because generating the actual data and making it relevant for simulations is complex and expensive. “For years we have been working closely with automobile and commercial vehicle manufacturers. We have recognized this need and made it our mission to develop cost-effective solutions to include road and environment into simulation based vehicle engineering”, says Dr. Klaus Dressler of the Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Mathematics ITWM in Kaiserslautern.

Big Data expertise brings large amounts of data under control

At Hannover Messe 2016, scientists from the Fraunhofer Institute presented a system that consists of a test vehicle, a geo-referenced database and a vehicle simulator. Using two 360-degree laser scanners, the Road & Environmental Data Acquisition Rover (REDAR) captures enormous amounts of environmental data at normal driving speed. “We call it point cloud data. That means for each 3D coordinate we have environmental data,” says Dressler. The ITWM researchers have managed to prepare the terabyte-sized dataset so that it can be used in real time in 3D interactive driving simulations. “The volume of data is so large that the data cannot be easily fed into the memory of a computer system. We have therefore developed an out-of-core method to process only the data necessary for the running time in the simulator.”

REDAR captures data from the building fronts to the left and right and from the street in front and behind of the vehicle at a distance of 200 meters. It also scans the road‘s surface with a resolution of less than half a centimeter. An inertial platform eliminates potential movement of the vehicle from the raw data of the laser scanner so that it can be objectively processed by the software. “To build such a complex measurement system and consistently process the data through appropriate algorithms were our biggest challenges,” Dressler adds. The test vehicle has been in use since 2015 and has already been collecting data for various customer projects.

Merging fine- and coarse-grained data

ITWM‘s own driving simulator RODOS (Robot-based Driving and Operation Simulator) converts the metrics collected by REDAR. The simulator consists of a cabin system in which a steering wheel, gas and brake pedal can be operated. The driver cabin is connected with a 6-axle robot system that realistically simulates accelerations, braking or driving around tight curves. “The test driver moves through a virtual world that feels very realistic after just a few minutes,“ explains Dressler. The simulations are supported with data from the database system known as Virtual Measurement Campaign (VMC). The database provides the world‘s road network with its topography, regulations, weather and additional geo-referenced data. “With the data collected from the data acquisition vehicle we merge real fine-coarsed data with the coarse-grained data from the VMC. Merging the two worlds is an important step in developing test scenarios for the engineering of road-bound vehicles,” says Dressler.

Airbus Delivers Its First Aircraft Produced In The USA

“I am immensely proud to be here to participate in this first delivery from Mobile,” said John Leahy, Airbus Chief Operating Officer – Customers. “Going from breaking ground on this facility three years ago to handing over the first Alabama- produced A321 today is an amazing accomplishment. It’s a testament to how well executed this project was and how strong the teamwork has been here in Mobile and throughout Airbus. The Airbus U.S. Manufacturing Facility has brought together all the best aspects of our other assembly lines around the world, and it shows how Airbus people work hand in hand with our partners to deliver great aircraft to our customers.”

Airbus announced its commitment to build a single-aisle assembly line in Mobile, Alabama in 2012, and less than one year later, broke ground on the $600 million (U.S.) facility. The ceremonial inauguration of the plant came in September 2015.

The aircraft delivered, a JetBlue A321, successfully had its first flight on March 21st, 2016.

In addition to the JetBlue A321, there are currently nine other A320 Family aircraft in production at the facility. Airbus anticipates delivering four aircraft per month from the Mobile plant by the end of 2017. The initial deliveries will all be A320 Family aircraft with the Current Engine Option (CEO), but will begin transitioning to New Engine Option (NEO) derivatives in late 2017.

In addition to hundreds of new Airbus jobs the project has brought to the local community, the Mobile area has seen many Airbus suppliers open new facilities in the region, providing even more employment and a parallel boost to the local economy. Airbus is proud to boast that 87 percent of its new employees are from the Gulf Coast region, with nearly one third being U.S. military veterans.

Demonstrating the adage The Sun Never Sets on Airbus – Airbus aircraft are now produced around the clock, 24 hours a day, at facilities in Mobile Alabama, Hamburg Germany, Toulouse France and Tianjin China.

Continued Infrastructure Development Essential In Unlocking Africa’s Economic Growth Potential

This important topic will be one of those discussed at the 2016 Southern African Metals and Engineering Indaba, scheduled to take place at the IDC Conference Centre in Sandton. Special attention will be paid to the thesis that countries that boast highly-developed infrastructure tend to do better than their less-developed counterparts when it comes to attracting private sector investment and FDI. 

Speaking ahead of the conference, Steel and Engineering Industries Federation of Southern Africa (SEIFSA) Chief Executive Officer Kaizer Nyatsumba said that over the years South Africa’s world-class infrastructure, among other contributing factors, has played a crucial role in positioning the country as the entry point to the rest of the African continent.

“In order to fast-track economic growth in South Africa and the rest of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region during the prevailing turbulent economic conditions where competition is rife, countries within SADC have to develop infrastructure and transport logistics that would enable them to compete globally.

“Accelerated growth necessitates road and rail links that are continually improving,” Nyatsumba said.

However, current difficult economic conditions make raising money to finance SADC’s huge infrastructure backlog difficult.

“African countries in general and countries within the SADC region in particular are in dire need of FDI. This is one of the contributing factors which saw Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan embarking on an international roadshow to lure foreign investment into South Africa. Infrastructure development has the potential to play a positive role in attracting FDI and private sector investment, but the difficulty in raising finance for infrastructure development poses a threat to accelerating economic growth,” Nyatsumba said.

He added that without reliable infrastructure, it is almost impossible for any developing economy, including South Africa, to prosper.

“It is, therefore, of crucial importance that various stakeholders from government, labour and business get together to deliberate on strategies aimed at unlocking SADC’s economic growth through infrastructure development, among other things,” he said.

Southern Africa and the Huge Infrastructure Backlog – How to finance it will be one of the topics which will be robustly discussed at the 2016 Metals and Engineering Indaba. Debating this crucial topic will be International Monetary Fund Senior Resident Representative Dr Axel Schimmelpfennig, Development Bank of Southern Africa Group Executive Manager Sinazo Sibisi and Industrial Development Corporation Head of Basic Metals and Mining Mazwi Tunyiswa, among others.

Tapping Into The Market With TaeguTec T-Tap

The HSSE-cobalt T-Tap new line expands TaeguTec’s threading range beyond milling and turning applications with carbide tools to high-speed steel. The high cutting speed with low cutting force taps’ universal application is ideal for steel, stainless steel and cast iron applications. Whether it is metric ISO standard or fine threads, the optimized cutting geometries of the new taps line ensures easy chip evacuation for precise and reliable machining.

The material used in the new T-Tap line is offered in three different grades– uncoated, steam tempered or titanium nitride. No matter the coating, the T-Tap HSSE line enables higher productivity and economy on a wide range of materials. Its longer tool life is credited by its innovative cutting geometry and the option of either TiN or steam tempering.

Tale of Two Geometries

TaeguTec’s straight flute with spiral point HSSE taps for through hole threading have a form B 4-5 threads chamfer, a dimension range of M2-M20 (MF8X1.0-MF16X1.5) and an ISO 2-6H tolerance. The innovative geometries of this new series forces the chips forward making tapping an easy, cost-efficient process while its optimal design credit to shallow flutes is only used in combination with cutting fluids (not chip evacuation).

The right hand spiral 40 degree flute’s features for blind hold threading comes with a helix angle, form C 2-3 threads chamfer, the same dimension range and ISO tolerance as the straight flute with spiral point. The difference is that the tap is designed with spiral flute grinding which forces the chips out of the hole and is designed for both cutting fluid and chip evacuation.

Grading Grades

The uncoated T-Tap grade is a perfect economical choice and is recommended for steel up to a maximum 800 newton per square millimeter while the steam tempered coating ferric oxide layer at the cutting edge makes it perfect for chip flow and reduces built-up edges for increased tool life.

For high hardness, chemical stability and heat resistance applications, the physical vapor deposition TiN coating offers a longer tool life due to its balanced characteristics of low heat conductivity and smooth operation at low cutting speeds and universal application on a wide range of materials.

Testing the Life Out of T-Tap

TaeguTec extensively tested the new T-Tap line on various materials and working conditions to make sure that it surpasses every customer’s needs. Its steam tempered tap on machining a sleeve made from carbon steel (AISI 1040, C40) was found to be optimal at a cutting speed of 14 meters per minute and lasted perfectly for 1,300 thread holes. On the other hand, the two TiN coating tests handled low alloy steel and tool steel with ease.

The case study of the TiN coating for a driving wheel made from low alloy steel (AISI 5115, 16 MnCr5) found that the application took 20 meters per minute to machine and lasted 1,800 thread holes while the tool life of a transforming stamp using tool steel (X36CrMo17) continued for 850 thread holes at a cutting speed of 15 meters per minute.

TaeguTec also tested two special coatings for companies that need tailor made tools. The first was on a supply pipe in which the material used was nodular cast iron (GGG40). The titanium aluminium nitride coating’s cutting speed was a mind blowing 25 meters per minute but its true eyebrow raising feature was its tool life of 3,500 thread holes.

But more impressive was the application on an aluminium alloy cylinder head. For this job, TaeguTec tailor made a DLC coating which has a cutting speed of 22 meters per minute with an incredible 8,000 thread hole life.

For more information, contact TaeguTec – Tel: (011) 362-1500.

No Major Revolution In Metal Working Due To Additive Manufacturing

Dr Wilfried Schäfer, Executive Director of METAV’s organiser VDW.

“Additive manufacturing processes are linked to high expectations,” comments Dr. Wilfried Schäfer, Executive Director of METAV’s organiser VDW. “In particular, the vision of entirely new value creation chains right down to customized production of parts or spares on site is arousing keen interest,” he explains. Reason enough for the VDW to commission an academic study of what this actually involves from the machine tool industry’s viewpoint.

KEX AG, in conjunction with the Fraunhofer Institutes for Production Technology (IPT) and Laser Technology (ILT), conducted the study in five stages, with a major focus on metalworking operations:

  • Market analysis for the development of additive processes
  • Meta-analysis of already-existing studies and an as-is survey of the current situation in terms of patent applications and the research status, based on academic publications
  • As-is survey of the additive processes available for the metalworking sector
  • Case studies that examine the requirements and possibilities of additive manufacturing, as exemplified by selected components
  • Prognosis for the development of the relevant technologies in the upcoming five to seven years
Dr Myron Graw, partner at KEX Knowledge Exchange

The most important result is this – assuming annual growth of 40 percent for additive processes, less than one percent of the existing technologies will be replaced by additive processes. This relates to the production volume of the international machine tool industry. “Overall, then, only minor shifts can be expected in the future production mix of the machine tool industry,” is Graw’s verdict. Which means that radical changes in the sector are rather unlikely.

The obstacles are costs and machining time

Obstacles to greater market penetration are encountered in the costs involved and the machining time required. In small-series manufacturing, and when producing complex customized and small components, the cost advantages of an additive process can be achieved by tool-less manufacturing. A special advantage ensues when substantial added values can be generated by additive manufacturing, such as lightweight structures in the aircraft industry, cooling ducts and undercuts. That way possible cost-related disadvantages in medium-sized and large series can be compensated.

When it comes to manufacturing large components, additive processes often have cost-related disadvantages. These result not least from the comparatively low build-up rates. Other relevant factors include the expensive machinery required and the high material prices for metal powder. “These cost-drivers will in the years ahead be changed by technological advances and the upsizing of capacities,” admits Graw. This, he adds, will speed up the dissemination of AM.

Potential for hybrid machines

The development of hybrid systems remains an exciting topic. These integrate functional quality for additive manufacturing, e.g. laser deposition welding, into conventional machinery concepts, like machining centres. This creates a potential for repeatedly performing targeted machining tasks during the build-up process. “To enable the options concerned to be efficiently utilized, however, the parts involved have to be completely redesigned. This is also true for the mere additive processes”, explains the KEX researcher. Furthermore, new approaches need to be established for production planning.

This leads to another open question – how AM systems can be integrated into the traditional production environment. Even nowadays, many work sequences are still being performed manually. For the efficient utilization of AM, questions have to be answered regarding automated powder feed, powder handling, powder removal, dust impact on the surroundings when “unpacking” the parts, automated process chains for removing supporting structures, and much, much more.

Additive manufacturing’s other shortcomings include the still-restricted choice of materials (powder) for the additive processes. Moreover, the quality of additively manufactured components has to be tested in non-destructive mode. Since the parts involved are always more or less one-off designs, their flawless reproducibility first has to be evidenced.

“We can say that additive manufacturing in the metalworking sector is being integrated into the existing value creation chain for metalworking as an additional production technology,” is the verdict of the VDW’s Executive Director, Dr. Wilfried Schäfer. AM, he adds, will thus become another building block besides CAD, simulation, reworking, production metrology and quality assurance. AM will also become of great importance to the machine tool industry itself. For example, when additive processes add value to components, such as extending the longevity.

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