A Business Case for Optimising Designs in Product Development. Virtual and Real Testing

Engineering Integrity Society

Wednesday, 18 May 2005

Ford Motor Company Ltd, Dunton Technical Centre

It is essential to stimulate greater investment by companies in Product integrity by showing the commercial benefit of applying appropriate technology and by challenging traditional methods which no longer provide an adequate business case.

Many of the Predictive and Virtual tools used in modern engineering design are based on historic assumptions. For example, assumptions such as Residual Strain were necessary because there was no means of measuring it in a real component. Now the means is available real values should be used and assumptions eliminated. The use of service data to predict wide and varied service conditions is another area of assumption. Too many assumptions are made in essential areas.

The use of new technology to replace the regular assumptions can provide great benefit in prediction. The application of material condition monitoring as a quality control tool can improve financial return to the producer. An essential part of the future development continues to be rig testing. Its role is discussed.

These are some of the issues and challenges that will be made at this one day seminar held at Ford Dunton Technical Centre.

10:00 Welcome - Pat Chandler, Manager Laboratory Durability, Ford of Europe

10:00-10:15 Opening Addresss - Norman Thornton, nCode International

10:15-11:00
Technology is Available
(Technology is available to make change and benefit)
Professor Rod Smith & Dr Stuart Hillmansen - Imperial College, London

11:00-11:15 Coffee

11:15-12:00
The Unmeasured Strains
(The effect of residual strain on product life and manufacture)
Dr Peter Blackmore & Dr Janardan Devlukia - Jaguar Cars

12:00-12:45
Fully Analytic Vehicle Loads and Virtual Durability Process
(Discussing the techniques and advocating the approach)
Dr John Dakin & Dr Hong Zhu - Ford Motor Company

12:45-13:30 Lunch

13:30-15:00 Tour of Dunton Technical Centre engineering facilities.

15:00-15:45
Theory is for Losers!!
(Keeping your feet on the ground whilst applying all these technologies)
Damian Harty - Prodrive

15:45-16.00 Tea

16:00-16:45
The Future for Lab Simulation
(What is the important future role for rig testing?)
John Goode and Liam Carter - Ford Motor Company

16:45-17:00 Close

Home: http://www.e-i-s.org.uk