Multiphysics

Fraunhofer SCAI’s business area Multiphysics provides MpCCI Software and Services for various CAE disciplines and engineering domains. The overall ambition is to enable a deeper integration of virtual engineering processes and real world data into high-fidelity Digital Twins:

• MpCCI CouplingEnvironment enables a co-simulation of (commercial) CAE tools to model e.g. fluid-structure-interactions, thermal and radiation coupling, thermal management of electrical engines, or for magneto-hydrodynamics in electric arcs.
  
  
• MpCCI Mapping tools provide a seamless data transfer within integrated CAE workflows– including file-format conversion, mesh-2-mesh comparison, interpolation of simulation results between incompatible mesh definitions, and validation capabilities.
  
  
• MpCCI Twin Toolbox defines concepts and software to enable the integration of real world data in virtual engineering processes, and to apply dedicated AI-based search and analytics methods. Typical examples are the validation and adjustment of virtual crash models by incorporating data from physical crash experiments or direct support for CAE standards like VMAP.
  
  
• Computer Aided Biomedical Engineering – In several practical joint projects numerical simulation and optimization methods were applied to investigate physical effects in devices for life sciences.

The Multiphysics business area has initiated many of following industrial and 3rd party funded R&D projects. All of these R&D activities are driven by concrete demands from customers and industry communities. Within these projects, existing MpCCI solutions are applied to challenging engineering applications, new methods and tools are developed, and standardization activities are supported:

DigitalTwin-4-Multiphysics-Lab
The joint DigitalTwin-4-Multiphysics-Lab laboratory (Fraunhofer SCAI, University of Applied Sciences Bonn-Rhein-Sieg, Dr. Reinold Hagen Foundation) aims to create new Digital Twin concept for SMEs.
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ITEA VMAP analytics
The vision of ITEA project VMAP analytics is to enable the realisation of smart Digital Twins for materials and manufacturing design tasks.
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Fraunhofer HABICHT
The Fraunhofer project HABICHT aims at the development of a highly efficient electric motor for compressors in hydrogen fuel cells.
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BMWi BonoKeram
BMWi funded project BonoKeram works on increasing the flexibility, efficiency and cost-effectiveness of small gas turbines through the provision of components made from monolithic advanced ceramics.
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BMBF NanoINHAL
The aim of the BMBF funded project NanoINHAL is to develop an innovative testing system for investigating the toxic effects of airborne nanomaterials.
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Fraunhofer DigitalTPC
The Fraunhofer project DigitalTPC aims at the holistic consideration of all sub-process steps, partly taking place at different locations, from the semi-finished product to the component production.
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UmLac
The AiF funded project UmLac deals with material models and characteristic value determination for the industrial application of forming and crash simulation.
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ITEA VMAP
The goal of the ITEA project VMAP was to create the first open vendor-neutral standard for computer-aided engineering data storage, thereby enhancing the interoperability of software tools and reducing costs and effort for companies.
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Strategic R&D Topics which are of major importance for our own business and which are not yet fully embedded in a publicly funded R&D project or license-funded product development.

• Smart Coupling – The goal is the realization of domain-specific and AI-assisted solutions to evaluate multiphysics simulation models.
  
  
• Smart Digital Twins – Aims to create an open framework of ontology systems for manufacturing and product design purposes.
  
  
• Interoperability and Standards – There is a strong need for more interdisciplinary engineering work and interoperability of software solutions.
  
  
• Hybrid Surrogate Modelling – A surrogate model is an engineering method used when an outcome of interest cannot be easily measured directly, so a model of the outcome is used instead.

Multiphysics solutions for the automotive industry
2023, September – The publication "Multiphysics solutions for the automotive industry" provides specific information on applying MpCCI software products for simulation engineers in the automotive and supplier sectors. In various technical use cases for the modeling of complete vehicles or individual assemblies of specific components, the application possibilities of MpCCI are presented, and the implementation in virtual design processes and digital twins is described.
e-Paper

The VMAP standard for vendor-neutral CAE data storage
Workshop on Technical Extensions and Interoperability
Organizer: VMAP Standards Community
2023, May – NAFEMS World Congress
The lack of software standards in virtual engineering workflows and incompatible interfaces for the transfer of simulation data not only causes additional costs and complex manual adaptation but also leads to inflexible IT solutions, loss of information, and significant delays in the overall design process. Therefore, the standardization of data interfaces in CAE is vital for all industry segments where simulation processes are central to the product and process design.
The VMAP CAE Data Standard was initially developed by a consortium of 29 partners from industry, software domain, and academia to enable the storage of simulation results in an open and vendor-neutral format.
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Simulation tools in the virtual manufacturing process
2023, February – Virtual product and process development is used in many areas: vehicle safety, vibration, chassis design, and in many manufacturing processes. The simulation models must always be compared with available data from real measurements and tests. Only through careful coordination between virtual design and real-world testing, and by taking into account the interdependencies between each design discipline, can the validity of simulation results be continuously improved.
Digital Engineering "Simulationswerkzeuge: Die große Expertenumfrage"

VMAP, digital twins and multiphysics solutions
The VMAP standard for vendor-neutral CAE data storage workshop on technical extensions and industrial use cases (Fraunhofer SCAI)
2022, October – NAFEMS DACH Konferenz
Talk: Datenraum-basierter semantischer Digitaler Zwilling: Demonstration der Interoperabilität von Simulation, Messungen und Analytik für Produktionsprozesse (M. Meyer, A. Delforouzi, P. Gulati, K. Wolf (Fraunhofer SCAI)
Talk: Magnetohydrodynamics Modeling of Submerged Arc Furnace (P. Bayrasy (Fraunhofer SCAI); Y. Tesfahunegn, G. Saevarsdottir (Univ. Reykjavik); T. Magnusson (Stakksberg ehf); M. Tangstad (Univ. Trondheim)
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Medical technology against nanoparticles – Multi-organ chip detects dangerous nanoparticles
2022, October – For example, what happens when we inhale nanoparticles emitted by a laser printer? Can this damage the respiratory tract or perhaps even other organs? Fraunhofer researchers are developing the "NanoCube" exposure device, to answer such questions. Its integrated multi-organ chip from the TU Berlin laboratory and its spin-off TissUse detect the interaction of nanoparticles with lung cells, as well as their uptake into the bloodstream and possible effects on the liver.
Fraunhofer FORSCHUNG KOMPAKT

Improved implementation of material behavior change due to bake hardening in the simulation of the process chain
2022, June – The steadily increasing demands on the crash safety of automobiles with simultaneous weight reduction also mean higher requirements for crash simulation. In addition to manufacturability, the focus in component dimensioning is increasingly on crash properties. To improve the predictive accuracy of crash simulation, the individual process steps must be coupled in the simulations. To increase the quality of the predictions, thermal treatments such as curing the paint, which usually takes place at 170 °C for around 20 minutes, should also be considered. In many steels, the so-called bake-hardening effect occurs. This leads to an increase in the yield stress. This publication will investigate different transformation approaches for the hardening curves to increase the prediction accuracy in the process chain. An example demonstrates their easy applicability in the process chain simulation.
HTM – journal of heat treatment and materials
Publication

Digital twin in the manufacturing sector
2022, May – Digital twins are becoming an increasingly important technical paradigm for successful and efficient product and process design. Design and simulation engineers, process experts, and IT departments are more interdependent than ever but struggle with mismatched or missing data standards, interfaces, and software architectures. Holistic value chain optimization requires maximum reusability and digital interoperability, even across company boundaries. Our MpCCI Twin Toolbox supports engineers in creating and assembling their digital twin solutions. The toolbox provides functionality to integrate information assets from heterogeneous sources into a common environment. Analysis, optimization, automatic calibration, or verification and validation can be applied, and data can be managed through its semantic (ontology-based) metadata. The MpCCI Toolbox aims to achieve better interoperability and more intelligent workflows in engineering and multi-physical applications. Generic-based solutions and a growing number of engineering and analysis modules serve as templates and can be adapted to the needs of a project.
Hannover Messe

Fraunhofer’s PREPARE project “Habicht” hosts first review meeting
2022, May – " ... This project is an excellent example of pioneering high-tech product development in conjunction with simultaneous materials and measurement development and simulation technology." - Jürgen Ulm, HS Heilbronn
Project page "Habicht"

VMAP – Data standard for a more integrated system engineering
2022, April – ITEA aims to continuously improve the quality and impact of the projects undertaken under our Eureka cluster. One way to achieve this objective is to understand the requirements faced by the end-users that could potentially benefit from the software innovation generated by ITEA projects. This knowledge of the customers’ important and challenging issues allows to design projects with concrete objectives and, most of the time, fast exploitation potentials.
ITEA Smart Systems Engineering Workshop

Digital Twin and Multiphysics Solutions – Multiple Presentations at NAFEMS World Congress 2021
2021, Ocotber – VMAP Standard and the VMAP Standards Community / VMAP Enabling Interoperability in Integrated CAE Simulation Workflows/ Bridging the Gap between Product and Simulation Data Management / A Digital Twin for Lightweight Thermoplastic Composite Part Production / Smart Automatic Configurator for Fast and Robust Fluid Structure Interaction Co-Simulations / Using Computational Fluid Dynamics for the Design of In-Vitro Testing Methods for Inhalable Micro- and Nanoparticles
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VMAP – Presentation at 13th European LS-DYNA Conference 2021
2021, October – VMAP enabling interoperability in integrated CAE simulation workflows
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MpCCI Solutions – Presentation at 2021 JMAG&PSIM User Conference
2021, October – Multiphysics Simulations for Electrical Components Design with MpCCI
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VMAP received the ITEA Award of Excellence for Standardisation
2021, September – “[…] VMAP has outstanding outcomes that will fasten the digitalisation process of all industries […] - Zeynep Sarılar, ITEA Chairwoman
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Fraunhofer DigitalTPC – Presentation at DGZfP-Jahrestagung 2021
2021, May – Inlinetauglichkeit von zerstörungsfreien Prüfmethoden für den digitalen Zwilling von thermoplastischen Carbonfaser-Tapes
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MpCCI CouplingEnvironment 4.6.1 released
2021, March – Solved synchronization issue with parallel codes / Updates for various code interfaces...
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MpCCI FSIMapper 4.6.1 released
2021, March – Updates for FLUENT CFF format / OpenMP based MpCCI Visualizer / ...
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Fraunhofer Project HABICHT started
2021, February – The project aims to design and develop a high speed motor for a fuel cell compressor to enable innovation in the utility vehicle and aviation domain...
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Project ITEA VMAP analytics has started
2021, January – The vision of VMAP analytics is to enable the realisation of smart Digital Twins for materials and manufacturing design tasks. ...
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Whitepaper: Ontologies for Digital Twins in Smart Manufacturing
2020, November – We propose a first integral ontology centered around multiphysics simulations and digital twins in manufacturing …
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