Using Simulation Technology to Minimize Component Damageat FCA US

Keywords: Drop and impact analysis, cost saving

Automotive components manufactured by

the OEM or by third party suppliers need to

be transported before final assembly. From

as close as the same plant or as far away

as a different country, these components

need to arrive at their destination without

being damaged along the way. To transport

components, manufacturers develop

shipping racks, built specifically for the

size, shape and weight of the component

being carried.

FCA US LLC, formerly Chrysler Group LLC,

is one of the world’s largest automobile

manufacturers with operations throughout

North America. The company endeavors

to keep the costs of scrapping or repairing

damaged goods to a minimum and develops

its own shipping racks in conjunction with a

third party specialist supplier.

FCA US must ensure that the shipping racks

are ready and waiting to be filled when new

components come off the manufacturing

line. To achieve this, the company must

develop and manufacture the racks in

parallel with the development of the

components. Although the material handling

teams are aware of the components that the

shipping containers are intended to carry,

they don’t always have access to a physical

component to test in the rack before they

are built. This means the teams are unable

to ensure that the design can protect the

parts as intended before being shipped to

the production lines.

IndustryAutomotive

ChallengeReduce damage to automotive components during transit

Altair SolutionSimulation technology used to analyze rack performance and suggest design changes

Benefits• Significant reduction in design time• Reduction in component damage

Key Highlights

Success Story

“Altair ProductDesign’s team was been able to make improvements to our racks without wasting time, effort, cost, or material on a faulty design. They were able to pinpoint exact problem areas and adjust as needed.”

Jeremy Hartwell, MLM Rack Design Manager, FCA US LLC

FCA US Success Story

This level of uncertainty can potentially

lead to hundreds of shipping racks being

produced that will not adequately protect

the parts. The racks can require retrofitting

which can incur significant costs to FCA US.

In order to tackle this problem, FCA US

approached Altair’s product development

division, Altair ProductDesign, due to the

company's long standing relationship. The

initial collaboration involved a study to see

whether finite element analysis (FEA) could

be used to accurately predict the behavior

of the components in the rack during

transportation loadcases. To achieve this,

Altair ProductDesign utilized Altair's own

suite of virtual simulation tools, HyperWorks,

to build FE models of a rack with

components and subjected them to a series

of impact, drop and vibration tests. The

simulation study would note any movement

or dislodgement of the components as well

as any damage to the rack.

The results of the finite element (FE)

studies were compared to physical test data

collected by FCA US and proved that the

simulation process would allow the team to

visualize overall behavior of the panels in

the rack, locate stressed areas in panels,

locate areas with permanent deformations

and evaluate the structural integrity of the

rack itself.

Simulation to Improve Product Protection

Following this success, the Altair

ProductDesign team was tasked with using

a simulation process to provide guidance on

design improvements. The objective was to

identify potential issues with a rack design,

early on in the design process, prior to final

build of the rack. This included:

• Reviewing the behavior of the panels

and identifying possible improvements

to eliminate excessive movement

• Locating high-stress areas in the panels

• Pinpoint areas of the panels that move

outside of the pre-determined tolerance

of the panel

Model of a rack showing door components becoming dislodged during impact tests

The project focused on the racks designed

for what were considered to be sensitive

components that were likely to become

damaged if dislodged during transportation.

This included parts with high levels of

complexity (e.g. rail assemblies), flimsy

structures or flange sensitive parts (e.g.

roofs, bodyside outers, hoods, etc.).

One of the racks investigated during this

stage of the project was designed to

transport vehicle rear door outer panels. To

explore the suitability of the design, Altair

ProductDesign built detailed models of the

panel and rack before running a series of

simulated tests. Within the HyperWorks

suite, the rack was loaded with its capacity

of 38 panels and subjected to the FCA

US standard rack testing protocols which

includes a 2 mph impact test into a rigid wall

from multiple angles, two along the short

side of the rack and two along the long side,

which could ultimately cause the panels to

be damaged.

The test showed that some panels had

moved out of the rack’s dunnage (the

packaging material laid beneath the

component for further protection). Although

the movement was relatively minor, the

potential was there for the rear doors to

become dislodged with further impacts,

which was deemed to be unacceptable

and needed to be rectified. Following the

impact analysis, a virtual 4 inch drop test

was conducted and repeated along each

side of the rack's edge. The analysis again

showed that some of the components were

becoming dislodged from the dunnage

material. Both tests were correlated with

physical tests conducted at the FCA US

physical test partner, PIRA.

Using the information gained from the

simulation results, Altair ProductDesign

was able to rapidly explore multiple design

variations and suggest changes to the

dunnage material to better protect the doors.

The team found that modifying the angle of

the dunnage under the door to increase the

slope on which the components sit during

transportation by 7 degrees was enough

to ensure that the doors no longer become

dislodged during the testing.

Accelerating Development, Reducing Costs

Being able to rapidly investigate the

suitability of the design before the physical

panels were available successfully

accelerated the rack development program.

The relatively minor modification required

to better protect the components was

discovered early in the development

program, so the cost of making the change

was low. This represented a significant

change from the previous method where the

company very little time to react once the

final parts were being produced.

The results of the program have proven to be

extremely successful for FCA US. Damage to

components during transport is being kept to

a minimum as the racks are more effective

at holding the components in place.

Due to the success of the program, Altair

ProductDesign now works as the FCA US

simulation partner for all its new rack

development programs.

For more information please visit:

www.altairproductdesign.com

A 7 degree change to the dunnage successfully stopped the components becoming dislodged

Original Modified

Virtual test results correlated well with physical tests

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Altair empowers client innovation and decision-making through technology that optimizes the analysis, management and visualization of business and engineering information. Privately held with more than 2,000 employees, Altair has offices throughout North America, South America, Europe and Asia/Pacific. With a 30-year-plus track record for high-end software and consulting services for engineering, computing and enterprise analytics, Altair consistently delivers a competitive advantage to customers in a broad range of industries. Altair has more than 5,000 corporate clients representing the automotive, aerospace, government and defense, and consumer products verticals. Altair also has a growing client presence in the electronics, architecture engineering and construction, and energy markets.

Altair ProductDesign is a global, multi-disciplinary product development consultancy of more than 800 designers, engineers, scientists, and creative thinkers. As a wholly owned subsidiary of Altair Engineering Inc., this organization is best known for its market leadership in combining its engineering expertise with computer aided engineering (CAE) technology to deliver innovation and automate processes. Altair ProductDesign utilizes proprietary simulation and optimization technologies (such as Altair HyperWorks) to help clients bring innovative, profitable products to market on a tighter, more efficient time-scale.

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