CATIA ICEM AEROEXPERT

Making aerospace design flyBeyond form and function, gooddesign can change the way peoplefeel about the object or space inquestion. Where is this moreevident than in the design ofmodern aircraft?Today, passengers expect a pleasant,comfortable and stylish experiencewhen flying. And the tone isset as soon as they enter the cabin.Soft curves and smooth surfaces oneverything from seats to overheadluggage lockers can help createthe kind of soothing and attractiveenvironment they are looking for.Of course, exterior surfaces arealso crucial in aeronautical design.For example, slight deviationscoulddisrupt the aerodynamics ofa wing or nose cone sufficientlyto affect the operating efficiencyof the aircraft. In the past, thesekinds of imperfections in interiorand exterior surfaces have beenunavoidable, as designers havebeen forced to choose betweenquality and accuracy when creatingthem. However, these limitationsare no longer acceptable inthe modern aerospace industry.In other words, the ability to addresssurface quality and accuracysimultaneously is vital when creatingoptimal surfaces in aeronauticaldesign that really deliveron customer and aircraft ownerrequirements.The demands of today’s competitiveaerospace market also presentdesigners with a wide range ofother challenges. Product replacementcycles are shortening, anddesign precision is increasinglycritical. Together, these pressuresare making the entire designprocess more intensive than ever.In the aerospace field in particular,designers need to create complexaeronautical surfaces as quicklyand as accurately as possibleaccording to stringent industryspecifications. Engineers mustincorporate changes more rapidly.And feasibility analysis has to beincorporated into the developmentof the initial concept.All of theseissues significantly increase theimportance of the ‘virtual’ software-baseddesign environment.In the aerospace industry, there isa clear leader in this field: CATIAICEM AeroExpert.CATIA ICEM AeroExpert is a comprehensiveand intuitive softwaresolution that enables aeronauticaldesigners to create, validate, andmodify complex surfaces, particularlythose that must adhere tocritical aerodynamic specifications.Uniquely, CATIA ICEM AeroExpertallows surface designers to controlthe quality and accuracy of surfacessimultaneously – whereverthey are located on an aircraft.For example, CATIA ICEMAeroExpert enables control overhow surfaces connect togetheracross the outside of an aircraft.Because the smoothness of theseexternal surfaces can influencehow the air flows over them, theability to define them as preciselyas possible helps designersoptimize surface aerodynamics.Thus, flying speed and fuelefficiency are also optimized.Inside the aircraft, aestheticsmatter more. The same controlover surface connections allowsdesigners to create beautiful freeformsurface shapes that captureand reflect the design intent of theinterior style concept. They alsofacilitate the creation of surfacesthat are smooth and complex yetstill accurate. The result is a consistentdesign with a high qualitylook and feel.Key BenefitsFully integrated into CATIA virtual design environmentStreamlined end-to-end aerospace designComprehensive solution to design complex aeronauticalsurfaces quickly and accuratelyImproved collaborative working and productivity,accelerating the design process

Total integration,from design to constructionKey BenefitsOne single data format for a streamlined process flowHybrid modeling environment with both explicitand feature-based approachesSupport of manufacturing processes with Single Celldata outputReal-time diagnosis, securing surfaces high-end qualityEasier imported data optimization, with advancedsurface smoothing and data reductionAeroExpert is the first surfacemodelingtool created specificallyfor the aeronautical design, andfully integrated into the CATIAvirtual design environment.A single common data formatis used that covers the entiredevelopment process chain,maximizing its efficiency andeffectiveness. This saves significantamounts of time and money whencompared with converting productdata into different formats foruse in standalone or incompatiblesystems. In addition, CATIA ICEMAeroExpert embraces and facilitatescollaborative working, saving evenmore time and money with minimizedexpensive redesigns as theaircraft evolves.When it comes to specific features,the latest version of CATIA ICEMAeroExpert improves the qualityand accuracy of complex lofted surfacesderived from curves designedfrom mathematical programs.These are traditionally used to forexample, specify the aerodynamicshape of a wing profile.Specifically, the most recent releasefeatures improvements that addressthree of the most important aspectsof surface design: surface creation,curve creation, and surface modification.Modification of both surfacesand curves is equally importantas designs are iterated. CATIA ICEMAeroExpert allows designersto work in a hybrid modelingenvironment of both explicit- andfeature-based geometry.Users have the freedom tointeractively edit and manipulateexplicit geometry though advancedand comprehensive modificationtools.Alternatively, they can choose towork with features that allow themto interactively adjust the parametersof a result such as a roundingfillet radius value, keeping the associativitywith the feature’s parents.This approach maintains designintegrity and minimizesany necessary redesign of adjacentgeometry in order to accommodatethe design change.In turn, this improves productivityand accelerates the designprocess during modification.

Accelerating design evolutionPerhaps the most powerful aspect ofthe CATIA ICEM AeroExpert is its diagnosticcapabilities. Designers can seethe effect of a surface change on therest of the design in real time.This allows them to make a fast andaccurate judgement on the validity ofthe outcome in terms of surface quality.The result is greater freedom andflexibility for design professionals,and a faster, more efficient and morecost-effective development process.Yet the benefits of using CATIA ICEMAeroExpert don’t stop there. They alsoextend into the aerospace manufacturingprocess. The ability to smooth outsurfaces created from imported datais critical. Their complexity can also berefined to help improve systemperformance and, crucially, theiraccuracy can be maintained duringthe entire process – no reconstructionis required.When it comes to the mathematicsbehind Class A surface development,CATIA ICEM AeroExpert reduces theircomplexity, enabling the creation ofcleaner, smoother surfaces. The benefitsof simplified mathematics alsoapply to the curve creation process,allowing designers to develop highquality curves that are reflected in thepristine surfaces to which they belong.In addition, when creating new surfaces,CATIA ICEM AeroExpert provideswhat is termed ‘Single Cell output’. It’sthis kind of output that is required tosupport curve creation and thecomposite material construction usedin modern aircraft manufacture.At the same time, ease of use has beenimproved with a number of new commandsthat simplify the completion ofvarious design tasks. The result is increasedproductivity and an accelerateddesign process that can, for example,help deliver a faster time to market fornew aircraft.The ultimate benefit of all these featuresis clear. Aircraft development andmanufacturing processes using dataproduced in CATIA ICEM AeroExpertbecome simpler, faster and more costeffective,as well as easier to manage.Put simply, CATIA ICEM AeroExpertis the essential surface design toolfor today’s aeronautical designprofessionals.