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Models That Last a Lifetime

Stephen BurtonGulfstream AerospaceCorporate Product Lifecycle Maintenance

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G650 Announcement

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G650 Announcement

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G650 3D ModelsRollout video produced in 2009 (before green aircraft)• 3D models used to produce video are over ten years old• Same models still used in design, manufacturing, & service

Can assert to regulatory authority that zero changes to 3D type design data have occurred in these models since release

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Business Process EvolutionHistorically: skilled craftsmen, hand built custom interiors• Interpreted engineering drawings with limited content

New production/outfitting demanded change for higher volume• Result – FAA certified industry’s first 3D MBTD system

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3D Model Based Type Design (MBTD)

True 3D electronic representation of aircraft • Includes fasteners, hardware, veneer, hoses, etc.

Eliminates paper, design ambiguity, & many costs

• Relies on geometry vs. text• No dimensions on

models• Users obtain

dimensions directly from models

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MBTD on the Shop Floor

Deployed to all process users• Engineering• Manufacturing• Quality• Purchasing• Product Support• Supply Base

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Business ImpactProduction prospects exceeded• Barrel joining• Wing to fuselage fit• Wing to body fairing fit

Outfitting results• Total costs reduced 40%• Schedule shortened 45%

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Lifetime Product & Data IssuesAircraft have 50 – 75 year life cycle• Data must be accessible & stable for aircraft lifetime

Software & hardware constantly evolve during this life cycle• What hardware will be used in the future?• What happens if software company disappears?• How will current data work with new software versions?

Gulfstream 1Produced 1958 - 1969

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Sample Software Versioning Effect

Topology & metadata must maintain integrity considering future• Versions• Service packs• Hot fixes• Migrations

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Data CorruptionHow do you prevent discovery by user community?

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Integrity, Consistency, Stability, Accessibility

Check data at bit / byte level every 24 hours• We know when data goes corrupt / missing

Release content supported by international standards (STEP)• Allows us to move data in/out of authoring software• Exportable data (our FAA certification content) defines scope

Manage hardware & software environment• Rigorously verify applications before changing environment

Rigorously validate data prior to each environment change• Verify topology & metadata

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Laws of Data Consistency

Environment Processing

Interpretation

DATA

Stored Data Presented Data Interpreted Data

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Three comparison types to detect geometric differences• Cloud of points to part• Spatial occupancy (b-rep, tessellation, DMU)• Geometric properties (volume, surface area, inertia)

* Brière-Côté, A., Rivest, L., and Maranzana, R. (2012).Comparing 3D CAD Models: Uses, Methods, Tools and Perspectives.

Computer-Aided Design and Applications, 9(6), 771-794.

Two application interoperability modes• APIs use same release, service pack, hot fix• Licensed libraries validate only at release GA code level

Commercially Available Validation Software

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Geometry Validation Process (GeoVal)

Three outcomes• Pass• Crash• Fail

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Must verify in authoring software• Create reproducible

scenario for application provider

Disposition• If false positive,

request application fix, & retest the update

Model Fail?

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GeoVal Process Requirements

Validate only released data (currently no assemblies)• 400K+ type design parts in 2015

Validate in equivalent environments• GeoVal process must use same hardware & software configuration

as used for model design & releaseCompare only features within STEP validation scope • All visible geometry• Certain hidden geometry (for composite parts)• Annotations• Specification tree

Tolerance level = 0.001mm = 3.94x10-5 in

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Create model sample sets (MSS) for reproducible testing• Non-proprietary models with intentional errors for each use case• Representative sampling of released models (1K–100K)

Send non-proprietary MSS to application providers• Expedites configuration setup & troubleshooting

GeoVal Setup

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GeoVal Intentional Models

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Define, refine, & manage application configurations• Constant effort to eliminate false positives from results• Standardize, test, rollout updated configurations, & retest

GeoVal Configuration

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False Positive

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Controls • Authoring settings• Validation software

configurations • Client test platforms• Process servers

Schedule• UAT – 6 months• Prodx – 3 months

GeoVal Process Management

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Two-Stage Validation• First, process

models proven to pass quickly

• Then, reset same servers for longer timeouts & load remaining models

Stage 1

Stage 2

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Two-Stage Processing AdvantageFirst data set consists of models that will pass quickly • Must process <12 hours to maximize burndown rate

Assign remaining models to second data set• Minimizes excessive processing time (churn)• Reduces time/effort reconfiguring servers

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Which Models Pass <12 Hours?Model size correlates to solve time? Model complexity correlates to solve time?

NoNo

Therefore…Run full scale test with 12 hour timeout

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Full-Scale GeoVal Test

Validate entire data set prior to Production run• Stress software, hardware, & their configurations• Verify processes for loading, monitoring, & reporting• Reveal capability gaps for unforeseen situations• Provide computation times for determining schedule• Illuminate effectiveness of support by application providers

Analyze results & then sort models for final validation run• Stage 1 – models that pass• Stage 2 – all remaining models

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GeoVal App

Transparently integrates external applications, standardizes model loading, manages submitted runs, generates & views results

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GeoVal App Standardizes Reporting

• Reporting consistent for all validation software applications• All reports retained eight years for auditing

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GeoVal Processing Results

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In Memoriam

David Minning1966 – 2017

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Models That Last a Lifetime

Stephen BurtonGulfstream AerospaceCorporate Product Lifecycle Maintenance