Modern Computer-Aided Tools for High-Resolution Weapons System Engineering
Abstract
It is generally recognized that the potential to design and build better materiel is intimately connected with the capability to apply the evolving techniques of computer analysis and automation. At the outset of the cycle from concept to manufactured product, the techniques of Computer-Aided Engineering (CAE) provide the crucial capability to exercise predictive analyses of performance before systems are built. It is in the engineering phase of materiel development that optimum system designs can be generated, if properly supported via CAE. In order to fulfill its role in Army Materiel Command (AMC) as the lead laboratory in Vulnerability/Survivability, the Ballistic Research Laboratory (BRL) has developed a broad set of CAE tools that are appropriate to the examination of armored fighting vehicles, aircraft, and other military systems. The keystone of these predictive engineering models is a unified geometric modeler in which three-dimensional geometry is linked to material specification. All subsequent engineering analyses derive from a single geometric model. When highly detailed three-dimensional geometry is combined with phenomenologically based predictive models, it becomes possible to perform high-resolution estimates of weapons system performance. In this paper, an overview of such tools is presented, with examples. In addition, supporting issues of computer operating systems, electronic networking, the transfer and sharing of geometric data, and the retargeting of code to new hardware architectures are discussed.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Feb 01, 1988
- Accession Number
- ADA197855
Entities
People
- Paul H. Deitz
Organizations
- Ballistic Research Laboratory