Design Exploration and Robust

Design using ANSYS DesignXplorerDesign using ANSYS DesignXplorer

Single Simulation

• Single Solve

– Solves a single simulation with

only a single physics

– Engineers are interested in

solution robustness, speed,

accuracy, ease of use and Doesn’t account for

accuracy, ease of use and

engineering results

Doesn’t account for

physics interactions

“Virtual Prototyping” typically requires looking

at multiple physics, This single physics

approach is often not enough.

Single Multiphysics Solve

– Solves a single simulation

involving multiple physics

– Engineers are still interested in

solution robustness, speed,

accuracy, ease of use and

engineering resultsDoesn’t provide

direction for design engineering results

– And the ease and power of the

physics coupling

direction for design

improvement

How can I improve performance?

Can I reduce weight or cost?

What is limiting performance?

Is this a robust design?

“What If” Study

?

??

• User adjusts inputs and investigates

results

• Builds on previous expectations,

adds requirement of easy and robust

parametric updates and comparative

reports

Solutions compared,

but design is not well

understood and no reports

understood and no

optimum is found

Need a more scientific and automated way to

decide which points to solve

Need a way to interpolate between these points

Design Exploration• Scientific methods to explore the

design space fully

• Allows user for: sensitivity and

correlation, DOE and response surface

technology, mesh morphing, charting

and reporting

• For complex solutions, user can take

Response

Surface

Provides design

understanding, But ….

Optimize a design with selected inputs and goals

• For complex solutions, user can take

advantage of robust efficient &

affordable ANSYS distributed solver

Technologies.

understanding, But ….

Arriving at a set of Optimal

design solutions• Optimization

– Searches the design space for

optimal candidates, given user-

defined goals and priorities

– Adds requirements for: advanced

optimization algorithms to

Solutions may be too

sensitive to input optimization algorithms to

efficiently search for candidates,

comparative reporting

Real-world inputs typically have some variation

and may require a more “robust design” goal

sensitive to input

variability

• Taking the variation of inputs into account, and

seeking a design with a probabilistic goal

• RDO => Min standard deviation of the results

Robust Design

Input

distribution

Output

distribution

• RDO => Min standard deviation of the results

• Six Sigma => Optimal design within a safe domain

• In order to arrive at Robust design, User needs to

- Specify probabilistic parameters

- Use probabilistic optimization algorithms

Robust Design optimizes design variables to achieve a

particular probabilistic level such as Six Sigma, which

translates into 3.4 failures in one million parts.

Robust Design optimizes design variables to achieve a

particular probabilistic level such as Six Sigma, which

translates into 3.4 failures in one million parts.

The Path to Robust DesignRobust Design

“What if”

Design Exploration

•DOE, Response

Surfaces, Correlation,

Optimization

•Algorithms

Robust Design

•Probabilistic

Algorithms

•Adjoint solver

methods

Single Physics

Solution

•Accuracy,

robustness, speed…

Multiphysics

Solution

•Integration

Platform

“What if”

Study

•Parametric

Platform

Surfaces, Correlation,

Sensitivity, etc.

Design Exploration and

Robust Design at ANSYS

Optimization tools at ANSYS

– ANSYS DesignXplorer

• Unified Workbench

solution

– ANSYS Fluent

• Has built-in morphing and

Baseline Design

• Has built-in morphing and

optimization tools

• Has an adjoint solver

– ANSYS MAPDL

• DX VT

– And more

Optimized Design

ANSYS DesignXplorerIntegral with Workbench

• Parametric multiphysics

modeling with automated

updates

• Bi-directional CAD, RSM,

scripting, reporting and

more...

Integral with Workbench

• Parametric multiphysics

modeling with automated

updates

• Bi-directional CAD, RSM,

scripting, reporting and

more...more...more...

DesignXplorer in Workbench

ANSYS DesignXplorer

DesignXplorer is everything

under this Parameter bar…

• Low cost & easy to use!

• It drives Workbench

DesignXplorer is everything

under this Parameter bar…

• Low cost & easy to use!

• It drives Workbench ANSYS

• Improves the ROI!• Improves the ROI!

DX

ANSYS Workbench

Solvers

ANSYS DesignXplorer Design of

Experiments

With little more effort than for a single

run, you can use DesignXplorer to

create a DOE and run many variations.

With little more effort than for a single

run, you can use DesignXplorer to

create a DOE and run many variations.

Correlation Matrix

Understand how your parameters are

correlated/influenced by other parameters!

Understand how your parameters are

correlated/influenced by other parameters!

Sensitivity

Understand which

parameters your

design is most

sensitive to!

Understand which

parameters your

design is most

sensitive to!

Response Surface

Understand the

sensitivities of the output

parameters (results) wrt

the input parameters.

Understand the

sensitivities of the output

parameters (results) wrt

the input parameters.3D Response

2D Slices Response

Goal-Driven Optimization

Use an optimization algorithm

or screening to understand

tradeoffs or discover optimal

design candidates!

Use an optimization algorithm

or screening to understand

tradeoffs or discover optimal

design candidates!

Robustness EvaluationInput parameters have variation!

Make sure your

design is robust!

Six Sigma, TQM

Make sure your

design is robust!

Six Sigma, TQM

Output

parameters

vary also!

Understand how your

performance will vary

with your design

tolerances?

Understand how your

performance will vary

with your design

tolerances?

Predict how

many parts will

likely fail?

Predict how

many parts will

likely fail?

Understand which

inputs require the

greatest control?

Understand which

inputs require the

greatest control?

• Engineers face numerous obstacles that prevent them from using

optimization fully

• Our plans are largely based on removing those obstacles so our

customers can get more out of simulation

Challenges

Do you use optimization

software?

Matlab

16%

18.6%41.9%

21.8%

The Path to Robust DesignRobust Design

OptimizationOptimization

Robust DesignRobust Design

• Build on the solid foundation of Workbench as

a platform for parametric simulation

• Develop DX as an optimization platform

• Build up to probabilistic optimization

Single PhysicsSingle Physics

MultiphysicsMultiphysics

“What if” Study“What if” Study

DesignDesign ExplorationExploration

OptimizationOptimization