Web-based Collaborative Engineering Support System: Applications in Mechanical Design and Structural Analysis

Abstract

To cite this version:Benoît Eynard, Sébastien Liénard, Sébastien Charles, Aurélien Odinot. Abstract: The diversity in software used to support collaborative design and concurrent engineering requires the implementation of new technologies in order to ensure the integration between the various activities of the product development process. Most of the time, companies can not afford to spend the time and the funds required to enhance their IT and software resources. This is often the case of small and medium companies. Nowadays, in mechanical design, the needs for product data sharing between Computer Aided Design (CAD) and finite element analysis (FEA) activities have been fairly increased even for small companies. This article aims at presenting Teamproject software, an asynchronous Web Computer Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW) oriented toward the sharing and viewing of 3D data (CAD and FEA) based on Virtual Reality Modeling Language (VRML). Regarding the collaborative design and concurrent engineering approaches, this software increases the information access and its availability to expert and non-expert users in a remote mode. The article deals with the benefits proposed by the use of Web technologies in mechanical design and structural analysis fields. It details the software architecture of Teamproject. One of the added values offered by the new version of the Web CSCW is the translation of CAD and FEA data into VRML format. It extends the 3D product data review to all the team members involved in a project. Indeed, the reading of the Java3D can be ensured by the most used web navigator (like Internet Explorer and Netscape) with the aid of a free plug-in. To summarize, the proposed Web CSCW provides a simple and efficient access to mechanical design and structural analysis data in a real collaborative engineering approach.

A collaborative platform for integrating and optimising Computational Fluid Dynamics analysis requests

“…The nature of the collaborative support provided by the system beyond the exchange and integration of parametric product data was however not reported by Kleiner et al and it is again not clear how the system coordinated the distributed design process. Collaborative design and CE were the goals for increasing information access and availability within a web-based collaborative engineering support system developed by Eynard et al [17]. The specific application was the sharing of product data between CAD and Finite Element Analysis (FEA) tools and the viewing of the data using the Virtual Reality Modelling Language (VRML).…”

“…These requirements relate to: the interoperability required to support the integration of heterogeneous CAD and CFD tools [1,2,5]; technology required to transfer product data between different locations, collaborative support, and transaction management, access and version control, and change notification [2,[14][15][16][17]; and parametric support for optimisation [15,16].…”

Meta-design for agile concurrent product design in the virtual enterprise

“…In this way all members of the project can share data securely without the need for any local client-side software, and without any cost to the end-user. Another example of this web-based approach utilising the independent VRML format and Web Computer Supported Cooperative Work presented by Eynard et al [22], which concludes that an asynchronous web-based system can significantly improve project management and sharing of information between partners. International standards and data formats…”

Knowledge Based Simulation Driven Design for Crash Applications

“…Nowadays, researches are focused on this problemat ic in accordance with global PLM (Product Life Cycle Management) [17][18] approach. The aim is to define a method and a model or meta-model (in UM L or MOF which are modelling standards defined by OMG)(UM L: Unified Modelling Language is a language used to formalise model object oriented.…”