Product Development with Virtual Prototypes

F or most research-funding organizations, computational engineering is a study area in academic engineering departments, and is often somewhat indistinguishable from highly applied physics, chemistry, and biology research. I'm going to address a different kind of computational engineering that is focused on the development, manufacture, and deployment of innovative, complex technical products such as computers, electronics, ships, and airplanes. Much of the current US prosperity is due to its lead in product innovation, especially in these types of high-technology products. Computing played an important role in establishing that lead and its role in sustaining the lead is growing. The construction and analysis of virtual prototypes with physics-based performance software tools utilizing high-performance computers offers US industries and government an opportunity to reduce the time, cost, and risks of developing , producing, and deploying complex, innovative technical products. The productivity gain from the use of virtual prototypes analyzed with physics-based performance prediction tools is a potential game changer for product development. The potential game-changing effects of virtual prototyping can be understood within the context of the traditional systems engineering approach to product development and production (see Figure 1). The System Lifecycle Model Concept development includes formulating and defining a system concept that meets a specific need. 1 Engineering development is turning the system concept into an engineering design that meets the need within cost and schedule constraints. Post-development includes manufacturing, deploying, and sustaining the system. The design of innovative new products require extrapolation of existing designs. These extrapolations are based on experience with existing systems; expert judgment; and " rules of thumb " and other simple analyses. Increasing the level of innovation increases the level of extrapolation, and the associated risk that the extrapolation will include too many uncertainties. Validating the design of innovative complex systems (automobiles, airplanes, and so on) requires physical testing that can only occur late in the process, chiefly in the engineering design/integration and evaluation phases, when partial and full-scale physical prototypes become available. This product development paradigm traces its origin to the industrial revolution, if not before. Several centuries ago a simple version of a product (such as a steam engine) would be designed, constructed, and tested. The failures observed during testing would be analyzed, Figure 1. System lifecycle model for product development and production.