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Automated symmetry exploitation in engineering analysis

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Abstract

In engineering analysis, geometric symmetry, when exploited, has two potential benefits: (1) it can significantly reduce the computational time, and (2) it can simultaneously improve the accuracy of the computed solution. Consequently, most CAD/CAE systems have standard ‘provisions’ for exploiting symmetry. These provisions are however inadequate in that they needlessly burden the design engineer with time consuming and error-prone tasks of: (1) symmetry detection, (2) symmetry cell construction, (3) boundary mapping and (4) symmetry reduction. In this paper, we propose a framework for automated symmetry exploitation in engineering analysis. By formalizing all four tasks listed above, and by unifying them under a single framework, we show how automated symmetry exploitation can be achieved. We discuss implementations of the proposed work within two commercially available CAD/CAE systems, namely FEMLABTM and SolidWorksTM.

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Notes

  1. Note that mr represents a rotation followed by a vertical mirror transformation. This is equivalent to a mirror operation about a line 120° to the vertical. Similarly, mr 2 represents mirror about a 240° line.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. 347, Mechanical Engineering Building, 1513 University Avenue, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, 53706, USA

    Krishnan Suresh & Ameya Sirpotdar

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  1. Krishnan Suresh
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  2. Ameya Sirpotdar
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Correspondence to Krishnan Suresh.

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Suresh, K., Sirpotdar, A. Automated symmetry exploitation in engineering analysis. Engineering with Computers 21, 304–311 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00366-006-0021-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00366-006-0021-2

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