Derivation of Rigid Body Analysis Models From Vehicle Architecture Abstractions

Vehicle analysis models of every type have their basis in some type of physical representation of the design domain. Rather than describing three-dimensional continua of a collection of components as is done in detail-level CAD models, an architecture-level abstraction describes fundamental function and arrangement, while capturing just enough physical detail to be used as the basis for a meaningful representation of the design, and eventually, analyses that permit architecture assessment. The design information captured by the abstractions is available at the very earliest stages of the vehicle developing process, so the model itself can function as a “design space for ideas”. In this paper we describe a generalized process for analysis model extraction from vehicle architecture abstractions, and then apply that process to the specific case of rigid body response models. We also discuss implementation of a rigid body analysis engine that forms part of the analysis suite of a software package supporting all aspects of vehicle architecture design.