LMS News

Siemens PLM Software

Meet the innovators in aerospace engineering

Issue 28 | February 2015 | siemens.com/plm/lms

Rolls-Royce
Radical new simulation techniques
to improve system-level testing

IRKUT

Airbus Helicopters

The role of virtual

integrated aircraft

Eurocopter simulated and

tested with LMS solutions

LMS News | Aerospace Special

Content

06

10

0405 Fly before you build

10 13 Breaking the composite barriers

Airbus Group Innovations

The aviation industry is undergoing a revolution, but

change of this magnitude does not happen
overnight. Today, LMSTM solutions and services are in
the right place with the right engineering insight to
help design the futures greener-and-cleaner
airplanes.
0609 The brave new world of engineering
Rolls-Royce and the Trent XWB engine
For months, the test team on the new Trent XWB
engine at Rolls-Royce had been working on process
improvements to gain better reliability on its enginedriven hydraulic pump test bench. This is what
happened when the team led by Dr. Adam Harris
turned to LMSTM Engineering services and LMS
Imagine.LabTM software for support.

Aircraft manufacturers need to reduce fuel

consumption and lower emissions and that means
developing lighter planes. The best way to
accomplish this is to use new, lighter composite
materials to minimize the weight. Read why Airbus
Group Innovations counts on LMS Samtech SamcefTM
software when it comes to innovative composite
design.
1417 Reducing modeling time by 80 percent
Russian aircraft company IRKUT slashed the
modeling time for its new MS-21 commercial airliner
by 80 percent using LMS Imagine.Lab software.
Certainly, the software made a big difference, but
the virtual integrated aircraft (VIA) concept played
an important role as well.

Aerospace Special | LMS News

22

26

1821 Eurocopter
Designed and tested with LMS solutions

26 29 The challenges of the Airbus A380 flutter

campaign

Airbus Helicopters, formerly Eurocopter, has counted

on LMS solutions for years. Today, the company uses
LMS Imagine.Lab to significantly reduce prototype
costs on the new Eurocopter EC175 while the NH90
is put through its testing paces with LMS SCADASTM
hardware.

The Airbus A380 flutter campaign called for a better

defined and equipped testing installation. This
meant digging a bit to find the right kind of process.
LMS Test.Lab Flutter Analysis software helped the
team in Toulouse validate data efficiently and
effectively.

2225 Hispano-Suiza and the Embraer KC-390

Pioneering electronic systems

30 31 Food for thought

Hispano-Suiza is a pioneer in the design,

development and production of electronic power
controllers for airborne applications. So it is not
surprising that Brazilian aerospace manufacturer
Embraer got them onboard for the electrical
distribution work for the Embraer KC-390, a
medium-size, twin-engine, jet-powered military
transport aircraft.

Global space programs are constantly under pressure

to reduce development time and cost. This
significantly influences space-testing technology.
Will hot topics like multi-input excitation, direct field
acoustic exposure (DFAX) and nonlinear dynamics
be the new standard? Or will improved virtual
testing reduce testing time cycles and cost while
increasing test confidence and safety?

Our simulation and testing

solutions help create
competitive advantages by
promoting innovation in
aircraft design and
manufacturing.

Aerospace Special | LMS News

Fly before you build

Well, you might have already guessed by the Airbus
aircraft on the cover that this LMS News issue is all about
aerospace engineering. And about how LMS simulation
and testing solutions help companies like Airbus and
aerospace suppliers such as Rolls-Royce optimize the
entire design process from the concept phase until the
final, validated prototype. In combination with LMS
Engineering services, we help our customers, such as the
Russian aircraft manufacturer IRKUT, adopt new modelbased systems engineering (MBSE) processes to enable
model-based and integrated-system simulation, or virtual
integrated aircraft (VIA) analysis, and to use real-time
simulation for pilot-in-the-loop (PiL) analysis, and
hardware-in-the-loop (HiL) simulation of aircraft systems,
or virtual iron bird (VIB). With our solutions and services,
we can help integrate these new engineering processes to
deliver the innovation that aircraft manufacturers and
suppliers need to cope with future industry challenges.
Managing complexity to realize innovation
When you have complex interconnected systems, like in
modern airplanes, you will have interface issues and this
translates to potential development risk. Just think what a
significant role electronics play in todays airplanes.
Electrical systems have to control flight control surfaces,
engines, the landing gear, the cabin pressure system, and
air conditioning and, lets not forget the entertainment
systems. Systems-level solutions that help verify and
validate design concepts early in the process, like those
using LMS Imagine.Lab software, are essential to address
the complexity issue of aircraft development.
Increasingly, innovation happens at the intersections
between different systems and within individual systems;
for example, between mechanical design and controls.
This in turns leads to increasing complexity and with it
more risks to manage in the early design phases. Accurate
systems-level modeling and simulation, including the
interaction at the various intersections, is essential to
achieve successful innovative designs. In this issue, there
are numerous systems-level simulation examples, like the
use of virtual integrated aircraft (VIA) analysis at IRKUT
and the virtual test bench at Rolls-Royce.

Verification and validation

Verification and validation is a critical aspect of an aircraft
programs success. It provides in-depth understanding
throughout the design process by closing verification and
validation loops during each step of the process. Today,
we are seeing verification and validation testing loops,
either virtually or physically, much earlier in the process.
Interestingly, the increased use of simulation for
verification and validation further pushes technology and
applications for physical testing, making testing smarter,
by using upfront simulation, or combining with
simulation. The LMS testing solutions integrate such new
concepts, increasing the effectiveness and the efficiency
of aircraft ground vibration testing (GVT), or enabling
companies like Airbus to streamline its flight flutter
analysis processes on the A350 XWB.
Making the right decisions with Siemens PLM Software
Today, LMS solutions can be part of an immersive
environment for product lifecycle decision-making based
on digital development processes and product lifecycle
management software, such as NXTM software and
Teamcenter software. LMS solutions are already
integrated into Siemens PLM Software solutions for
aircraft verification and validation workflows and systems
integration process management. Most recently, the
global Siemens PLM Software composite ecosystem has
been extended to include LMS Samtech software, which
can interface with NX Laminate and the Fibersim
portfolio of software for composites engineering.
The examples in this issue illustrate how our systems-level
simulation and testing solutions help our customers to
create competitive advantages by managing complexity,
diminishing risk and promoting innovation in aircraft
design and manufacturing. Integrated into streamlined,
fly-before-you-build processes, LMS simulation and
testing solutions will deliver valuable engineering insight
and understanding of real physical product behavior to
create aviation success stories for decades to come.

Dr. Jan M. Leuridan

CEO, Simulation and Test Solutions
Siemens PLM Software

LMS News | Aerospace Special

The brave new world

of engineering
Radical new simulation techniques help Rolls-Royce understand engine
hydraulic system performance early in the Airbus A350 development process.
You might wonder what Umberto Badiali, a 26-year-old Italian engineer from
Turin, has in common with the new Airbus A350? Or the Rolls-Royce Trent
XWB engine that powers these giant airplanes for that matter?

Aerospace Special | LMS News

LMS News | Aerospace Special

The Rolls-Royce engine going through its paces on the physical test bed.

Well, let us tell you a little story. As part of the LMS

Engineering services MBSE team in Lyon, France, Badiali
was assigned to Dr. Adam Harris project up at Rolls-Royce
in Derby, England, where they design, build and test the
Trent XWB engine for Airbus. Harris had previously worked
at Goodrich and Airbus. He joined Rolls-Royce to oversee
and improve hydraulic test bench facilities using a
simulation approach to gain valuable insight into engine
hydraulic system behavior during the test process. He was
specifically brought on board to investigate the
performance characteristics of engine-driven hydraulic
pumps during hydraulic loading tests in conjunction with
optimizing the hydraulic loading process.
For months, the test team at Rolls-Royce had been working
on process improvements to gain better reliability with the
loading system and to understand its representation of
aircraft systems on the engine-driven hydraulic pump test
bench.
There had been some need for the improvement of
performance and reliability which at the system level were
proving difficult to fully understand. Simulation and
analysis hadnt been used to support at this point. It was
purely empirical work, states Harris, technical project
manager at Rolls-Royces Test & Measurement Engineering
Center. Just using traditional methods was a rather longwinded and protracted route to understanding the system
behavior. We knew we needed to use analysis and
simulation to gain insight into dynamic interactions within
the system.
And this is where the LMS portfolio came into the picture.
Rolls-Royce already was working with the LMS Imagine.Lab
AmesimTM software hydraulics package as a standard
software within the Fluids Systems department.
The LMS solutions have a well-established reputation
within the aerospace community for this type of work. And
more importantly, we knew that beyond the life of this
particular project, we would have a high-fidelity model
that could be integrated within our own LMS Imagine.Lab
Amesim work. There was future proofing, if you like,
Harris adds.

Covering all the angles

Because of the nature of the hydraulic hardware
integration, Harris and his team had to cover quite a few
angles. Comprehensive simulation work on the hydraulic
system on the engine would need to include detailed
models of the key system components, the Rolls-Royce
hydraulic loading scheme and the Rolls-Royce hydraulic
piping architecture that was used during the actual testing.
From end-to-end, the whole system architecture,
components and features were hydraulically modeled and
compiled into a single high-fidelity simulation by Badiali,
the young and talented engineer.
It was quite an interesting project for me. It was the first
time I worked with test engineers. Normally, I am always
working with simulation experts so it was really interesting
to see how focused they were on the results and on
solving the issue at hand, says Badiali.
Bring on the data
As you can imagine, this took a few weeks of developing
parameters and data gathering, sorting and inputting,
model development and validation, but eventually the
model got the green light.
The process for me was actually quite challenging because
we had to get the data we needed from not only for the
Rolls-Royce hardware, but also for the pump and aircraft
hardware. We did count on our past experience and testsimulation correlation techniques to fill a gap or two,
admits Badiali.
When Badiali and Harris were finished, Rolls-Royce owned
one powerful simulation tool to analyze typical hydraulic
loading test sequences and closely investigate the pump
interaction with the loading system.
When you think about the amount of expert hours and
effort that you dont need to spend on engine testing
anymore, you start to realize that a project like this is a
huge cost savings. Not to mention all the time and effort
that had been spent on empirical work without a tangible
result, adds Harris.

Aerospace Special | LMS News

Simulating the root cause

After a period of time, the team at Rolls-Royce started to
reproduce the LMS simulation model behavior that they
had seen on the test bed hardware. This included pressure
surges, and fluid cavitation caused by fluid inertia, piping
specificities and system control. In laymans terms, the
spikes and surges were occurring due to a combination of
very long rigid pipe and fast closure time frames in the
system valves.

Meeting halfway
The study showed that the pump design and its loading
system should be integrated better. Dr. Harris and his team
were able to study and improve this integration using the
LMS modeling work.
With the information we have, we can try to design a
more comprehensive loading system. The modeling has
helped us identify the best way to go forward. This has
certainly been an added benefit
of the LMS Engineering project,
adds Harris.

We do have in-house modeling capability.

We wanted to take advantage of the LMS
expertise with this type of pump. We knew
that LMS experts had modeled and worked on
this before. Dr. Adam Harris, Technical Project Manager, Rolls-Royce
We were simulating the hydraulic loading precisely as it
would occur on the pump in the engine test bed, explains
Harris. Obviously, in an engine test bed, we dont have a
complete aircraft hydraulic system like you would find on
an actual plane. To try and simulate the effect of the
aircraft hydraulic system on the engine-driven pump, we
introduced a piece of equipment called a hydraulic loading
simulator.
This simulator effectively places resistance to the flows in
the hydraulic high-pressure lines downstream of the pump.
Through a variation of this resistance, one can broadly
simulate the effect of the airframes hydraulic system and
components on the pump.
We discovered during this simulation study just how
sensitive flow rate set point changes were on pump
response behavior with the hydraulic loading valves
operating in a timeframe of 100 milliseconds, states
Harris. Pressure surging events combined with a high
inertia fluid system were putting the pump into cavitation.
This can lead to damage and eventual destruction of the
pump and damage to the loading components.

The way forward

Going forward, the airframer did
receive the LMS modeling
information from Rolls-Royce and
listened carefully, taking the
information on board as it
matched in-flight observations.
Harris hopes it will be the glue
that brings the airframer, engine
manufacturer and component supplier together to design
a robust and integrated system, including the hydraulic
pump, engine off take and aircraft loading system.
When you take the physical pump, bolt it on the engine
gearbox and mount the combination on the aircraft, this is
when the most complex use case configurations arise.
Simulation and analysis can certainly help pre-empt some
of these challenges, Harris says. From our side, we are
developing a new loading system using all the benefits
from the modeling exercise. We are certainly ahead of the
game in specifying a new, more robust hydraulic system.
It was in the best interest of all the parties to work on this
hardware integration and I think that the airframer is quite
satisfied with the in-depth information, he adds.
And Badiali? Well, he was actually quite busy making some
models for Harris again. This time, for the Trent XWB coldstart test planned in northern Canada, where temperatures
can reach a glacial -40 Centigrade.

LMS News | Aerospace Special

Breaking the
composite barriers
Airbus Group Innovations has realized technological excellence and
significant breakthroughs in aircraft composite design using Siemens
PLM Software technology, specifically LMS Samtech Samcef software.

10

Aerospace Special | LMS News

Virtual testing is an essential tool to decrease the number of physical tests on composite components.

Maintaining a leadership position

Today the main challenge for aircraft manufacturers is
reducing fuel consumption and emissions. The best way to
accomplish that is by increasing the structural efficiency
and reliability of aircraft and using new, lighter composite
materials to minimize weight.
Within this framework, engineers need to maintain control
of the design by predicting all types of potential defects in
the structural components made of composites. Compared
to metals, composites exhibit very specific failure modes.
In order to provide safe designs that fully exploit the
potential of these new materials, aircraft stress engineers
need to identify possible delamination as well as damages
that may appear inside the plies of the layered composite
structures.
Additionally, the nonlinear geometric effects of thin-walled
composite structures are complex to analyze and cannot
be ignored. Advanced expertise in nonlinear analysis is
required to obtain accurate results so that realistic safety
margins can be determined.

Its secondary objective is to share competencies between

these commercial entities to help Airbus Group maintain
its leadership position in an increasingly competitive global
environment. Airbus Group Innovations primarily works
with Airbus and Airbus Helicopters on its composite
analysis research, which requires an innovative and
advanced concept for design and deployment in new
aircraft programs.
Virtual testing is an essential tool to decrease the number
of physical tests on composite components and to support
aircraft certification, and Siemens PLM Software plays a
vital role in this process for Airbus Group Innovations by
providing LMS Samtech SamcefTM software, a finite
element analysis (FEA) package dedicated to mechanical
and structural virtual prototyping. LMS Samcef is used in
numerous industrial fields for everything from basic to
advanced projects.
Indeed, during the past 20 years, the LMS SamtechTM
software development team has built a strong relationship
with Airbus Group Innovations, especially in the area of
composite technologies.

Providing a foundation
With more than 35 years of
experience working with leaders
in the aerospace industry, Airbus
Group Innovations experts
perform research and assist
aircraft original equipment
manufacturers (OEMs) with the
implementation of dedicated
Serge Maison Le-Poec, Head of Structure Analysis, Airbus Group Innovations
structural analysis technology and
optimization scenarios as well as
solid predictive solutions for
composites. Airbus Group Innovations improves its
Airbus Group Innovations (formerly EADS Innovation
knowledge by enabling the simulation of composite
Works) is the corporate research and technology
material damages so it can analyze large composite thindepartment of Airbus Group. Its primary mission is to
walled structures. For full-fledged programs, efficiency
develop technological excellence and breakthroughs to
improvement projects include developing dedicated and
support industrial innovations within its divisions: Airbus,
improved models, which take into account modeling
Airbus Defence and Space (formerly Cassidian and
possible failures in the composite structure.
Astrium) and Airbus Helicopters (formerly Eurocopter).

The successful implementation of these

laws in the nonlinear LMS Samtech finite
element solver was completed with the
support of the Siemens PLM Software team.

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LMS News | Aerospace Special

Increasing loading
Results of
experimental
testing

Results of
simulation with
LMS Samtech
Samcef

Correlation between LMS Samtech (bottom) and test results (top) showing damage on a helicopter blade.

The Airbus Group Innovations team

dedicated to advanced composite analysis
and simulation is used to incorporating
engineers from the French university
Ecole Normale Suprieure de Cachan (ENS
Cachan), especially from its Laboratoire
de Mcanique et Technologie (LMT
Cachan), says Didier Guedra-Desgeorges,
vice president and head of the Technical
Capabilities Center Structure Engineering,
Production & Aeromechanics at Airbus
Group Innovations. The very high level of
the research programs and the number of
new composite material laws and models
for composite structure damage
developed by LMT Cachan explains the
strong relationship between us.

Gaining a deeper understanding

Given the growing competitive pressure,
it is important that the Airbus Group
reacts extremely quickly to the needs of
the market by designing products right
the first time and by using new
methodologies for integrating advanced
modeling of composites.
Thanks to the implementation into LMS
Samcef of advanced composite material
laws developed in collaboration with LMT
Cachan and LMA Marseille, Airbus Group
gained much deeper physical insights,
thus extending the gap with its
competitors by positioning itself as the
first and leading research department
able to offer such advanced expertise,
says Guedra-Desgeorges.

The fact that LMS Samtech software provides

a robust, state-of-the-art technology
environment in an industrial context is
strategic for us.
Guedra-Desgeorges adds, Laboratoire de
Mcanique et dAcoustique, Aix-Marseille
University (LMA Marseille), another
French university laboratory working in
the same field, is also a research partner
of Airbus Group Innovations. The LMS
Samtech development team is the
cornerstone of these partnerships,
contributing to the dissemination of these
new material laws thanks to the
implementation of these advanced
concepts into its LMS Samcef solver.

12

The formulation of the selected model has

been extensively validated against
experimental results. It allows for taking
into account the different kinds of failure
modes and damages of composite
materials, as well as the
interdependencies of these phenomena.
The successful implementation of these
laws in the nonlinear LMS Samcef finite
element solver was completed with the
support of the Siemens PLM Software

Aerospace Special | LMS News

team, says Serge Maison Le-Poec, head of Structure

Analysis at Airbus Group Innovations. Even if openness is
available via material user routines, a native
implementation in commercial software provides a more
reliable solution.

money. The accurate analysis models for composites

provide a better understanding of the physics of failure.
With the knowledge of what the effects of a failure are on
the composite structure, better designs can be proposed
with more precise safety margins.

He notes, Advanced numerical regularization techniques

have been set up in order to preserve good convergence
properties of such highly nonlinear analyses, including
strong discontinuities. The fact that LMS Samcef software
provides a robust, state-of-the-art technology environment
in an industrial context is strategic for us.

This provides significant benefits to aircraft OEMs. The

definition of more accurate safety margins by the stress
department of aircraft OEMs enables lighter weight
composite structures and a reduction in costs. Together
with the support and expertise of the LMS Samtech
development team, Airbus Group Innovations is working
on the deployment of massive parallel computing based
on the LMS Samcef nonlinear solver in order to run large
scale models for composite damage analysis.

This new functionality has been successfully tested by

Airbus Helicopters for the prediction of the nonlinear
structural behavior of a composite blade, including a
transverse crack. The precise correlation between the
simulation and the physical test results confirm that it is
possible to analyze complex scenarios on composite
structures. Thanks to the demonstration of its methods
and models reliability and the extension of the spectrum of
analyses to real-life complex behaviors on composite
structures, Airbus Group Innovations has positioned itself
as a leader when applying for existing and new industrial
programs.
Realizing clear benefits
The trend is to use simulation of composite components in
parallel or as a complement to physical testing. Within the
full aircraft design process, the use of simulation tools is
now virtually essential in order to satisfy the requirements
of the certification authorities, while saving time and

Further validations are running with Airbus within the

European MAAXIMUS project, says Maison-Le-Poec.
Airbus Group and LMS Samtech software experts are also
partners in several research and development projects on
composite damage analysis.
Airbus Group Innovations is clearly recognized for having
set a high standard for engineering service activities to
provide tailor-made solutions, says Guedra-Desgeorges.
The fast adoption of its methods by the aviation industry
will improve the industrial design process. Since composite
material behavior and life duration are different from the
traditional metallic material fracture mechanics
phenomena, current air-worthiness methodologies are
being adapted to take into account virtual testing of
specific failure effects on aircraft composite structures.

Subsystem

Aircraft

From the composite coupon

to large-scale models

Material

Coupon

Component

The sizing process for composites is

based on the building block
approach, also known as the pyramid
of tests. The knowledge of nonlinear
material and structural behavior is
built step-by-step, from the coupon
to the full-scale structure. Replacing
some physical tests on this pyramid
by using simulation allows you to
estimate the quality of different
possible designs without having to
build physical prototypes, leading to
significant time and cost savings.

Building block approach including the composite structure and virtual and experimental material testing.

13

LMS News | Aerospace Special

Reducing
modeling
time by 80
percent
Russian aircraft company IRKUT slashed the
modeling time for its new MS-21 commercial
airliner by 80 percent using LMS Imagine.Lab
software. Certainly, the software made a big
difference, but the virtual integrated aircraft
(VIA) concept played an important role as well.

Conquering global markets

Today, Russian aircraft manufacturer
IRKUT Corporation (IRKUT) aims at
conquering the worldwide aircraft
market by launching the MS-21, a
series of three twin-engine short- and
mid-range airliners with a capacity of
150 to 212 passengers. The MS-21 is
designed to compete with the Airbus
A320 and Boeing 737.
Implementing system simulation
Under the MS-21 development
project, in 2010, IRKUT started using
LMS Imagine.Lab Amesim software
from Siemens PLM Software. Without
any prototype available at that time,
IRKUTs standard approach did not
allow design engineers to answer
questions as to how these systems
would interact, or how they would

14

behave in case of abnormal

situations. Implemented at the
detailed design phase of the project
when main system parameters had
already been chosen, LMS Amesim is
currently used for the hydraulic,
environment control, electrical, fuel
and anti-icing systems, as well as for
engine modeling.
Thanks to its user-friendliness, LMS
Amesim allows us to easily build
system models by using standard
library components, or by creating
our own components, and then
analyzing the systems behavior,
says Anton Poplavskiy, deputy chief
of the Engineering and Simulation
department at IRKUT. Unlike other
simulation tools, LMS Amesim does
not require in-depth knowledge of

how to implement and code physical

laws and formulas. Standard
validated and maintained libraries
offered in LMS Amesim enable our
engineers to work with several
systems.
Compared to our previous solution,
LMS Amesim allows us to reduce
time spent in building our most
complex models by a factor of five,
says Marina Grishina, an engineer in
the Engineering and Simulation
department at IRKUT.
At the beginning, given our
technical background in hydraulics,
we worked only on the hydraulic
system, but mastering more and
more LMS Amesim libraries, today we
are part of the dedicated Engineering

Aerospace Special | LMS News

LMS Test.Lab Transfer Path Analysis

helps us to quantify noise transfer
paths in a shorter time and
determine whether a potential
problem requires a change on our
side or a modification to the body or
body integration at the OEM.
Tomohiro Sudo Denso

By launching the MS-21 passenger airliner, IRKUT aims at competing with the Airbus A320 and Boeing 737.

and Simulation department, which has

been created to support design of
several systems, notes Poplavskiy.
Grishina explains, For instance, our
high-lift system department recently
needed to analyze a case of girder
damage. Using the LMS Amesim
planar mechanical library, we studied
this situation and obtained results that
were close to the data that was later
provided by our supplier.
The thermal analysis of the pylon has
been another technical issue solved
using LMS Amesim. In the MS-21, a lot
of hydraulic equipment is located in
the pylon and hence close to the
engine. While the bottom part of the
pylon is exposed to the hot flow from
the engine nozzle, the blower cools

LMS Imagine.Lab Amesim allows the engineers at IRKUT to easily build system
models by using standard library components or their own self-created components
to analyze the aircrafts behavior on an integrated system level.

15

LMS News | Aerospace Special

specialists attended a presentation of

the thermal analysis carried out with
LMS Amesim. Impressed with the
results, IRKUT decided to launch a
project aimed at modeling the MS-21s
thermal behavior while taking into
account boundary conditions for
engine, anti-icing, hydraulic, fuel and
electrical systems.

IRKUT analyzes the time before the fluid reaches the temperature required for the hydraulic
system startup.

Supported by the LMS Engineering

services team, this project has become
the first step in applying the VIA
concept, which supports the earlier
assessment of systems interaction to
predict their behavior once integrated
into aircraft.
LMS Imagine.Lab Sysdm software
and LMS Imagine.Lab System
Synthesis software have provided a
perfect complement to LMS Amesim.

down its external part. Despite a lack

of similar experience, IRKUT
managed to simulate the
temperature inside the pylon by
using LMS Amesim.
LMS Amesim is constantly evolving
in terms of ease of use, says
Poplavskiy. The latest revision of
LMS Imagine.Lab included
enhancements in model parameters
usability or instant visualization of
parameter modifications. Even
though these improvements might
sound not so important for the
design process, they greatly facilitate

modeling and speed up the

interpretation of engineering data.
Siemens PLM Software has proved to
be an excellent support provider,
adds Poplavskiy. We easily obtain
any needed information and
reinforce our expertise by
participating in training sessions
where the Siemens PLM Software
team share best practices in system
modeling.
Creating virtual integrated aircraft
Regularly participating in Siemens
PLM Software aerospace user
conferences, in 2012, IRKUT

During the VIA project the hydraulic system is analyzed within the
wider context of various aircraft systems.

16

Using LMS Sysdm has increased

productivity in the simulation process
at IRKUT and has reinforced
collaboration among its departments
and suppliers by bringing an efficient
solution for system model and
architecture management according to
the structure defined jointly by IRKUT
and the LMS Engineering team.
LMS System Synthesis has enabled a
systematic approach for getting an
appropriate modeling baseline for
each of IRKUTs design considerations.
Providing an environment to automate
the assembly of complex modeling
diagrams, it has also secured the crossdependencies between systems by
ensuring each stakeholder of the
modeling activities always has an upto-date reference dataset properly
configured for his work. Each of the
design choices can therefore be
executed in a controlled process,
leaving room for innovation in each
department.
We see several positive aspects in our
cooperation with LMS Engineering
specialists, says Poplavskiy. Thanks to
their expertise in the aerospace
industry, they provide us with a proven
high-performance methodology to
secure and optimize our modeling
process involving an increased number
of internal and external experts. We
have to learn as much as possible from
this collaboration to be able to apply
the VIA approach to our future
projects.

Aerospace Special | LMS News

Using LMS Imagine.Lab Amesim, IRKUT studies the aircraft hydraulic systems thermal behavior.

Summing up and looking forward

There are not so many companies
offering such a complete simulation
solution, says Yury Logvin, deputy
director of the Design department at
IRKUTs Engineering Center. Modeling
with LMS Imagine.Lab enabled us to
minimize the number of errors discovered
during the verification phase and obtain
an optimal design within the shortest
timeline. We are able to modify and test

ailerons behavior under the air flow. I

believe that multi-domain simulation is
our future.
Model-based systems engineering allows
IRKUT to reduce the number of tests,
says Poplavskiy. Using LMS Amesim, we
are able to predict and solve some
potential problems as early as at the
design stage, and therefore we avoided
troubleshooting later on at the finetuning stage.

Our goal is to produce a competitive airplane,

and Siemens PLM Software offers tools
covering most of the needs to do this.
Yury Logvin

virtually any parameter without

mobilizing considerable financial and
human resources, which tests would
require. We aim at achieving a 90 percent
simulation accuracy level.
Our goal is to produce a competitive
airplane, and Siemens PLM Software
offers tools covering most of the needs to
do this, says Logvin. For instance, we
recently found a solution to a technical
issue with ailerons: our tests department
had been trying to resolve it for three
months whereas with LMS Amesim it
took us only a day and a half to model

In addition to LMS Engineering and the

LMS Imagine.Lab platform (including LMS
Amesim, LMS Sysdm and LMS System
Synthesis), IRKUT currently employs LMS
Virtual.LabTM software for the
aerodynamics analysis and landing gear
design.
Other potential areas of collaboration
between IRKUT and Siemens PLM
Software have already been identified.
Converting LMS Amesim plant models
into real-time models of a virtual iron bird
(VIB) could become the next technical
challenge to be overcome at IRKUT.

17

LMS News | Aerospace Special

Designed and tested

with LMS solutions

Airbus Helicopters uses LMS Imagine.Lab Amesim to

reduce the prototype costs by a factor of four while
enhancing hydraulic design simulation.

18

Aerospace Special | LMS News

Shrinking time-to-market
In 1993, NHIndustries, mainly owned
by the Eurocopter group (now Airbus
Helicopters), started to design the
NH90, a medium-sized military
helicopter. Thirteen years later, it
entered service.
The pace of technological change has
increased so rapidly and the
competition has become so fierce that
helicopter manufacturers usually have
no more than four years to develop
their most sophisticated models. As a
result, manufacturers must make
better design choices and validate
systems integration early in the design
process, using modeling all along the
V-cycle.

In addition, rotorcraft manufacturers

must provide their customers with
reliable pilot training solutions.
However, flight simulators must
often be delivered before the first
helicopter is produced. The level D
full flight simulator (FFS), which is
the current standard with
comprehensive high-fidelity
aerodynamic and systems modeling,
is increasingly being requested, most
recently for the Eurocopter EC175,
Airbus Helicopters new mediumsized twin-engine helicopter.
Investing in simulation
To maintain its leadership position,
Airbus Helicopters has invested in
virtual testing to meet different

needs along the development cycle,

such as rapid prototyping, desktop
simulation, real-time pilot-in-the-loop
simulation, test rig development and
training solution production. Airbus
Helicopters simulation policy
stipulates that, if possible, a unique
model should be used for each
component throughout the V-cycle.
This approach had already been used
for avionics equipment, flight control
kinematics and aircraft environment
modeling, such as wind, atmosphere
and ground conditions. However, to
apply this simulation approach to
physical system modeling, Airbus
Helicopters needed a tool that would
ensure high predictability and easy
model integration into the real-time
19

LMS News | Aerospace Special

By using LMS Amesim for the hydraulic system design,

we estimate that we have reduced optimization time by a
factor of three, and prototype costs by a factor of four,
says Thibaut Marger, analysis and simulation specialist in
the Hydraulic and Flight Controls Department at Airbus
Helicopters Research and Development. The first
prototype that we manufacture is to fine-tune the LMS
Amesim model. The system optimization is performed
virtually. That leads to the creation of a new prototype
that is very close to optimizing performance.
Providing top-notch services
Siemens PLM Software has recently helped Airbus
Helicopters find a solution to carry out real-time
simulation, which supports the development of test rigs
and system engineering. The next step will be the design
of full flight simulators.

The same model created using LMS Imagine.Lab Amesim allows the
hydraulic and thermal departments at Airbus Helicopters to analyze the
hydraulic system from both thermal and mechanical (actuation) points
of view.

Thanks to its experience in methodology development,

LMS Engineering services provided Airbus Helicopters
with best-in-class support to convert hydraulic circuit
plant models built using LMS Amesim into real-time
compatible models. These models were then used on
Airbus Helicopters unique real-time simulation platform
for the development of the Eurocopter EC175.
First, LMS Engineering analyzed the computer processing
unit (CPU) time required by existing hydraulics models,
and helped Airbus Helicopters optimize its models, taking
into account potential dysfunctions, such as a broken
hydraulic pump, an actuator leakage or inadvertent
backup pump activation. Next, the company used a
unique model so it could understand the thermal dynamic
behavior of the system for many scenarios. Finally, the
model was reduced in order to keep only the phenomena

environment. The company had such a tool in LMS

Imagine.Lab Amesim software from Siemens PLM
Software.
Reducing cycle time and costs
Airbus Helicopters has used LMS Amesim since 2007 for
hydraulic and air-conditioning system simulation. In 2009,
the company extended the use of LMS Amesim to thermohydraulic component and system modeling.
Prior to adopting LMS Amesim, specialists in the Hydraulic
and Flight Controls Department were only able to obtain a
quasi-static representation of the hydraulic system. The
majority of parameters were determined during the
prototype testing phase. Moreover, these hydraulics
models were incompatible with a broader co-simulation
environment. To take into account the behavior of the
hydraulic circuit in real-time simulation, Airbus Helicopters
used to build another model using a specification that a
hydraulics specialist had prepared for a supplier, but those
simulations had not been predictive and required the
involvement of the hydraulic engineer.
The use of LMS Amesim enabled hydraulics design
engineers to move from a quasi-static to a dynamic world.
Now, not only can they model hydraulic systems and
subsystems, such as pumps, actuators or tanks, they can
also use the same model to gain insight into the systems
behavior when interacting with thermal, mechanical or
electrical systems.
20

LMS testing solutions

Recently, the Eurocopter NH90 was put to
the test using LMS SCADAS hardware, LMS
Test.Lab software and the new model of
the LMS Circular Irregular Array hardware.
This solution is a highly versatile sound
source localization solution for stationary
and nonstationary sounds, providing
extremely fast results in time-critical
applications.
The camera delivers immediate, accurate
and comparable results that can be
employed for precise source localization,
source quantification and ranking. The
acoustic camera uniquely combines the
techniques of acoustic beamforming,
holography, focalization and
deconvolution in one tool. LMS Test.Lab
software features an acoustic
beamforming, or spatial filtering
technique that provides source localization
of high frequencies from longer distances,
which makes it an excellent solution for
large structures, like the Eurocopter NH90.

Aerospace Special | LMS News

that are compatible with the real-time, fixed step solver

frequency.
Using several standard LMS Amesim libraries, capabilities
and tools made this project feasible. These included
thermal-hydraulic, hydraulic component design, signal
and mechanical libraries, super component functionality,
and activity index, linear analysis and performance
analyzer tools.

Adapting to customer needs

This project has resulted in Airbus Helicopters identifying
new opportunities to enhance its simulation process.
Since the same model is re-used and refined throughout
the design cycle, development specialists are now
interested not only in the performance of their system,
but also in the way it interacts with other systems. It
allows them to assess the system performance under
different conditions and modes as well as to anticipate
undesirable behavior in the
system prior to it being
integrated into a helicopter.

We opted for LMS Imagine.Lab Amesim for its

capacity to adapt to customer needs and the
quality of our exchanges with the Siemens
PLM Software team. Nicolas Damiani Airbus Helicopters

The LMS Imagine.Lab Amesim hydraulic component

design library allows Airbus Helicopters to analyze
detailed transient actuator behavior. LMS Imagine.Lab
Amesim enables Airbus Helicopters to analyze the
hydraulic system over a flight cycle, with simulated pilot
input noise and potential system
The cooperation between Airbus Helicopters and Siemens
PLM Software can be considered a pilot project to
demonstrate the feasibility and advantages of this
approach. Conducting fuel and electric model export in
future programs could be a next step toward optimization
of the design process throughout the V-cycle.

Being able to anticipate a

problem is a significant source of
cost and risk reduction, says
Nicolas Damiani, expert in
simulation and operational
analysis in the Simulation
Department at Airbus Helicopters
Research and Development. This
approach allows us to master the
development cycle and delivery time. These costs cant be
directly measured, but it enables us to avoid late penalties
that can be substantial when the delivery is delayed due
to a problem identified once all components are
integrated.
As a multi-domain platform, LMS Amesim fosters a closer
dialogue between departments, says Marger. For
instance, the same model is now used by the hydraulics
and thermal teams, which was hardly feasible before.
Moreover, constantly increasing usability in LMS Amesim
will allow our nonspecialists to easily run simulations.

21

LMS News | Aerospace Special

Hispano-Suiza and the Embraer KC-390

Providing an innovative electronic

system thanks to Siemens PLM Software

22

Aerospace Special | LMS News

Finding issues
Hispano-Suiza, a Safran Group
company, is a pioneer in the design,
development and production of
electronic power controllers for
airborne applications. In 2012, the
company celebrated the delivery of
its 30,000th power transmission.
Hispano-Suiza was contracted by
Brazilian aerospace manufacturer
Embraer to do all the electrical
distribution work, which includes the
ram air turbine (RAT), for the
Embraer KC-390, a medium-size,
twin-engine, jet-powered military
transport. The KC-390 is able to
perform aerial refueling, transport
cargo and troops and receive fuel inflight. It will be the heaviest aircraft
that the company has ever produced,
and will be able to transport up to 23
tons of cargo, including wheeled
armored vehicles.
The RAT is a small turbine that is
connected to a hydraulic pump or
electrical generator that is used as an
emergency power source capable of
delivering enough electricity to run
flight control systems. The RAT is able
to generate power from the airstream
due to the speed of the aircraft. RATs
are common in military aircraft,
which must be capable of surviving a
sudden and complete loss of power.
The RAT must fit in a very confined
space and the occurring loads must
stay below the defined limits. By
using LMS Virtual.LabTM Motion
software and LMS Imagine.Lab
Amesim software from Siemens PLM
Software, Hispano-Suiza was able to
fulfill both requirements.

23

LMS News | Aerospace Special

LMS Virtual.Lab and LMS Imagine.Lab were used during the design
phase to discover an inadvertent opening in the RAT in flight.

If we didnt have LMS Virtual.Lab

and LMS Imagine.Lab during the
design phase, we wouldnt have
discovered an inadvertent opening in
the RAT in flight, says Julien
Guiraud, the Hispano-Suiza
mechanics manager for the RAT KC
390 calculation and aircraft
integration project. They helped us

We used the LMS Virtual.Lab Motion

to check the stress in specific cases
that we wouldnt have discovered
using other analysis packages.
Julien Guiraud Hispano-Suiza

to find such problems, and to discover

some physics problems during the
deployment that we absolutely didnt
expect.
Improving physics insight
Hispano-Suiza recognized it needed a
new design process that would provide
improved physical insight of the
model; enhance the validation process
when exchanging information with
Embraer and the different
subcomponent suppliers (for example,
on damping of the system) and
shorten the simulation and model
validation phase.
By using LMS Imagine.Lab, HispanoSuiza was able to cross-check the
system damping analysis performed by
the suppliers on the design of the
hydraulic system.
When you deploy the RAT, you need
to slow it down at very high air speed,
says Guiraud. To avoid any failure, we
created a hydraulic LMS Imagine.Lab
model to work in parallel with our
supplier; first to validate the supplier
result and, second, to quickly answer
any questions from Embraer knowing
that if you change parameters like
compressibility of the fluid or
temperature variation, the damping
performance during deployment will
be increased.

LMS Imagine.Lab was used to help investigate multi-physics issues that the team didnt naturally expect to find.

24

Aerospace Special | LMS News

The RAT is a small turbine that is connected to a hydraulic pump or

electrical generator that is used as an emergency power source
capable of delivering enough electricity to run flight control
systems. The RAT is able to generate power from the airstream due
to the speed of the aircraft. RATs are common in military aircraft.

In addition to the damping characteristics, the HispanoSuiza engineers also gained a lot of insight into the
kinematic and dynamic performance of the RAT, the loads
and the stresses.

discovered that nonlinear problems were created, says

Guiraud. As a result, we used the LMS Virtual.Lab Motion
to check the stress in specific cases that we wouldnt have
discovered using other analysis packages.

Reducing load cases

The KC-390 engagement provided a number of significant
challenges for Hispano-Suiza. If Hispano-Suiza wanted to
maintain its status as a trusted partner of Embraer, it
needed to design the RAT correctly the first time even
though this was the companys first attempt at developing
this piece of equipment. The company also needed to
provide Embraer with loads, performance and stress
results for a variety of load cases to make sure it met
Embraers specifications.

Realizing clear benefits

There were many challenges to implementing new
processes and tools, including finding parts that were too
flexible and could have led to the loss of door pretension
and dramatic failures during the first flight; adjusting
kinematic processes according to peaks of loads during
the deployment; and developing a better understanding
of the influence of parameters on the design and
integration in the aircraft.

If we didnt have LMS Virtual.Lab and LMS

Imagine.Lab during the design phase, we
wouldnt have discovered an inadvertent
opening in the RAT in flight.
Julien Guiraud Hispano-Suiza

This presented a number of potential issues, including

running and analyzing an enormous number of loads, the
risk of errors and providing suppliers with the relevant
load cases. It also meant performing kinematics and
dynamics simulations, which required the ability to
optimize the model to fit boundary conditions.
Thanks to the use of a multi-body dynamic model, which
includes the flexibility of all the components, we

Not only did Hispano-Suiza find

potential problems, but by using LMS
Virtual.Lab Motion and LMS Imagine.
Lab Amesim, it also reduced the
number of load cases to be analyzed
by 90 percent from 500 to 50 and
cut the time it took to conduct the
load cases by 30 to 40 percent. The
LMS solutions also helped HispanoSuiza improve the reliability of the
analysis results, enhance the
performance of the RAT and bolster
its credibility and communication
with Embraer.

Demonstrating reliability
By gaining a deeper physical insight into the KC-390
program, Hispano-Suiza is now in a better position to
demonstrate the reliability of its methods and models,
giving it a competitive advantage. Hispano-Suiza plans to
use optimization tools with the model to investigate
computation fluid dynamics (CFD) links in conjunction with
Siemens PLM Software tools and fatigue simulation in order
to have the full loop of loads and designs in one model.

25

LMS News | Aerospace Special

Airbus uses LMS Test.Lab to

streamline its flutter analysis
process for the A380

Modal identification methods used

during flutter testing like aircraft
characteristics have evolved to
enable correct parameter
identification. Frequencies and
damping value estimations have to
be as accurate as possible in order to
define the aircraft fluttering margins
used during those first critical inflight test campaigns.

live data during the test flight, mostly

as a safety check to continue the
flight envelope. The near real-time
testing focuses on rapid modal
estimation to determine the overall
safety of the flight and the flutter
test program. The offline testing
deals with the finer analysis of the
recorded flight data and final report
production.

Flutter testing can be broken into

three segments: real time; near real
time and offline. In-flight real-time
test campaigns are used to acquire

LMS Test.Lab Flutter Analysis

software from Siemens PLM Software
enables the user to validate data
efficiently and effectively,

26

automating the use of LMS Test.Lab

Operational Modal Analysis software.
It offers a full package with all the
required functionality, such as data
preprocessing, modal parameter
estimation, mode shape animation
and result validation.
The Airbus flutter team in Toulouse,
France faced several challenges
working on the Airbus A380 campaign,
but these were issues they had faced
before with the Airbus A340 flutter
campaign: high modal density and
similar mode shapes, both placed in a

Aerospace Special | LMS News

low narrow frequency band. In terms

of modal identification, these new
precise requirements called for a
better defined and equipped testing
installation. This meant digging a bit
to find the right kind of process.
Measured data needed to be recorded
at enough locations with high enough
quality to improve power spectra and
transfer function estimates and avoid
spatial aliasing when working on
deformed aircraft shapes. This
required some innovative thinking and
serious process validation compared to
current techniques.
27

LMS News | Aerospace Special

Building on EUREKA FLITE projects

Since 2001, Airbus France and Siemens
PLM Software have been cooperating on
several European Research Cooperation
Agency (EUREKA) projects called Flight
Test Easy (FLITE). An intergovernmental
initiative to support market-oriented
European research and development
(R&D), the EUREKA FLITE projects focus
on bringing new and powerful tools to
structural engineers and aircraft
designers, improving the quality and
usefulness of data gathered during flight
testing.
The FLITE consortium gathers worldranking aircraft manufacturers and
technology providers from France,
Belgium and Poland. The FLITE projects
offered a unique opportunity to confront
new, advanced algorithms with
challenging real-life aircraft data.

the need to conduct further in-depth data

processing so that it could transfer more
complete results to Germany.
Clearly, we needed a solution that would
improve the alignment between online
in-flight analysis occurring in Toulouse
and the postprocessing completed in the
design center in Airbus Germany, says
Jean Roubertier, flight test department
aero-elasticity expert at Airbus. At this
stage, were very pleased with the
results. LMS Test.Lab is able to provide us
with the right type of results.
Realizing record-breaking data
acquisition
The 525-seat Airbus A380 is the largest
commercial passenger aircraft in the skies
today, so it isnt surprising that simply
due to its sheer size the acquired in-flight
testing data is record-breaking as well.

Weve been extremely impressed by the flutter

analysis results and the way that LMS Test.Lab
software is able to handle the challenges of
processing the immense amount of Airbus A380
in-flight data during the offline analysis.
Edition du 09/03/07

Finding the right data

In late 2007, Siemens PLM Software and
Airbus agreed to start a project to
evaluate LMS Test.Lab Polymax software,
an analysis component of LMS Test.Lab
Structures software, as a key solution to
achieve high-quality offline, in-flight data
processing for flutter analysis.
LMS Test.Lab Structures is a complete
solution for experimental and operational
modal analysis, combining high-speed,
multichannel data acquisition with a suite
of integrated testing, analysis and
reporting tools. Siemens PLM Software is
renowned for its modal testing
experience and scalable solutions, from
supporting impact testing on small
structures to large test campaigns using
multiple shakers and hundreds of
measurement channels.
In the past, the flight test department of
Airbus France performed data analysis
using its in-house, near real-time analysis
package, and transferred the results
together with the raw data to Airbus
Germany, where the numerical flutter
predictions were correlated with actual
flight tests. However, Airbus France felt
28

A380than
msn 1
A380 MSN001 was equippedEYTXGS
with more
FLUTTER &COMFORT
100 measurement points uniformlyACELEROMETERS
distributed
all over the primary aircraft structure.

XYZ sensors for elevator pulse analyses

XYZ sensors for inner aileron pulse analyses
XYZ sensors for rudder pulse analyses

Page:1

Aerospace Special | LMS News

LMS solutions for flutter analysis have been used to

test the upcoming Airbus A350 XWB, a jetliner that
is undergoing one of the most thorough test
programs ever.

With more than 100 sensors, that was

one of the largest setups for an in-flight
flutter test campaign that I have ever
seen, says Bart Peeters, Siemens PLM
Software project manager. Also, the
amount of tests under different flight
conditions was impressive. The resulting
database is immense and efficient
processing and report generation
capabilities are required.
The Airbus Flutter team in Toulouse
performed a variety of excitations,
including control surfaces sine sweeps
and pulses. Pulses are currently used to
assure crew and aircraft safety, whereas
sweeps are used to work out more
accurate results, enabling the update of
theoretical finite element (FE) models.
Thanks to integrating pulses into the
process, the duration of flutter flights has
been considerably reduced.
The basic concept behind the project was
to compare classical experimental modal
analysis (EMA) with LMS Test.Lab
Operational Modal Analysis software. In
classical EMA, the control surface
excitation and aircraft response signals
are converted to frequency response
functions (FRFs). During the actual flight,
other excitation sources, such as
turbulence, are present. Sometimes this
results in noisy FRFs. For example, an
aircraft tail response sensor receives a
rather limited contribution from the wing
excitation. Therefore, the idea arose to
neglect the excitation signal and apply
operational modal analysis (OMA) to the
aircraft acceleration signals.
We actually achieved better results using
OMA than with classical EMA, says
Miquel Angel Oliver Escandell, a member
of the Airbus Flutter team. We found
more modes. The synthesis was better

with higher correlation and fewer errors.

And the in-flight mode shapes looked
much nicer. This was thanks to the
amount of sensors we used and the OMA
capabilities of LMS Test.Lab.
De-noising the data
Even with projects of this scale, there is
always noise in the data that needs to be
managed. LMS Test.Lab can be used to
provide a clear picture with techniques
that produce accurate analysis results,
even from rather noisy data. This feature
offers clients like Airbus a true
competitive advantage when it comes to
offline test processing.
We found that the exponential window,
which allowed for cross-correlation
calculations, was a good de-noising tool
for our in-flight data, says Escandell,
who worked on the project for a year.
And the validation tools, such as
correlation levels, MAC matrix and mode
shape complexity (MPD and MPC criteria)
are complementary in regards to realtime identifications performed during
flutter tests.
During the comparison testing, the flutter
team at Airbus used LMS PolyMAX during
sweep excitations of the aircraft. The
results, based on using an exponential
window of five percent, appear to be
good, supplying high synthesis
correlations (98 percent using just two
references) and clear stabilization
diagrams.
Weve been extremely impressed by the
flutter analysis results and the way that
LMS Test.Lab software is able to handle
the challenges of processing the
immense amount of Airbus A380 in-flight
data during the offline analysis, says
Roubertier.

Measured mode shapes estimated

from in-flight sensor data. A wing
bending mode (top) and a fuselage
bending mode are shown (bottom).

29

LMS News | Aerospace Special

Food for
thought
What is buzzing in dynamic environmental space testing?
Vibration testing is a big milestone for any space program. And no wonder,
space is one of the harshest environments in engineering. It doesnt
matter if you are launching a state-of-the-art, 8-ton communication
satellite, the Rosetta spacecraft or a 1.33-kilogram CubeSat, these orbiting
wonders of technology must be thoroughly tested prior to lift off.

30

Aerospace Special | LMS News

So how does one do this? Basically, following a strict

vibration testing process, scientists rule out the impact
that noise and vibration effects during launch would have
on the overall satellite structure and other expensive
equipment and payloads. Nobody wants to see a failed or
aborted mission. Comprehensive testing is the bestpossible insurance policy. So, one can easily see why the
space community places great value on the vibration
testing process.
While technology and research move forward, global
space programs and commercial endeavors are constantly
under pressure to reduce development time and cost. This
is significantly influencing testing technology. Will hot
topics like multi-input excitation, direct field acoustic
exposure (DFAX) and nonlinear dynamics be the new
standard in environmental vibration testing? Or will
improved virtual testing reduce testing time cycles and
cost while increasing test confidence and safety?
To start a conversation around these topics, Siemens PLM
Software gathered a group of world experts from both the
academic and industrial space communities in
Braunschweig, Germany.
Dubbed as the first user group meeting for experts in
space testing, the event included technical presentations
from Thales Alenia Space, a satellite original equipment
manufacturer (OEM); IABG, a major European analysis and
testing organization; SABCA, a tier-one supplier to the
space industry; and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency
(JAXA), Japans national aerospace agency.
The audience included experts and academics from
various companies, universities and institutions. The
discussion concluded with a round table led by Rafael
Bureo Dacal, head of the structures section at the
European Space Agency (ESA). Based on this open
exchange of views, four key topics emerged.
Nonlinearity is popping up as a design issue in all kinds of
industries, space included. In the world of physics, a
nonlinear system, compared to a linear system, is a
system that does not satisfy the superposition principle. In
other words, the output is not directly proportional to the
input. To solve nonlinear events like these in the design
phase one needs complex modeling and correct
hypothesis. If nonlinearity exists without a proper
explanation, it can lead to random and unpredictable
events and behavior. And this is something no one wants
in a product design.
As one participant states, In typical space applications,
you dont want to find nonlinearity. Yet, it was quickly
pointed out that nonlinearity, for example in isolation
systems, is a reality that needs to be addressed. Experts
from both the private and public sectors pointed out that
this is a field where some work needs to be done.
During launch phase and until it has reached orbit, a
satellite has a very bumpy ride with noise excitation levels
reaching over 145 decibels (dB) as well as severe shocks
and vibrations. In most cases, this is the hard part. After
deployment, there are several decades of peace and quiet.

Yet, pumps continue turning and wheels are spinning and

this causes microvibrations. Much less than the launch
vibrations, these microvibrations can affect sensitive, onboard instrumentation, such as optical devices. There
seems to be a common viewpoint that understanding the
vibration transmission path and replicating these low-level
vibration environments will help design better satellites.
With the American space industry taking the lead, satellite
manufacturers are showing a growing interest in finding
an alternative to the standard acoustic tests in reverb
chambers. DFAX might be this alternative. It is an acoustic
testing technique used in aerospace. The structures are
subjected to sound waves created by an array of acoustic
speakers and test equipment to create an acoustic
environment that can simulate the launch vehicle sound
pressure field.
The main advantage of DFAX is that the owner does not
need to transport the satellite to a facility with the
necessary reverberation room or build its own, expensive
acoustic chamber. The DFAX solution is constructed
onsite. Even though this method promises to drastically
reduce testing costs, DFAX is not regulated and is
considered a slightly unorthodox practice. In addition,
there are serious safety issues to consider. Needless to say,
the advantages seem to be outweighing the
disadvantages. DFAX is generating serious interest in
many companies and organizations.
It is well known that test specifications are based on
obsolete technology rooted in the early days of testing.
Nowadays, there are tools and means available to increase
testing efficiency by improving environment replication
and more importantly reduce testing time and cost. For
example, LMS Test.Lab MIMO Random Control software
is used in several labs to increase vibration test efficiency.
It provides a solution to otherwise very cumbersome tests
that require the shaking of large objects like satellites that
are several meters long and precisely reproduce real-life
conditions.
Alex Carrella, product manager of the dynamic
environmental test solution, is excited to share Siemens
PLM Softwares expertise and know-how that was
gathered by working with world-leading industries in all
engineering fields.
At the same time, hardware is evolving to provide new
solutions for space labs. Miniature shakers, like LMS
Qsources hardware, can be mounted locally and excite the
structure with just a few newtons, an ideal solution for
microvibration testing. There is also a new dedicated LMS
SCADAS data acquisition card using voltage or charge
input as well as providing an analog copy of the signal for
back-up purposes.
Siemens PLM Software is also involved in some
groundbreaking research projects, including the European
Union-funded acoustic research on DFAX and the
ADvanced Vibration ENvironmental Testing (ADVENT)
research program that will address MIMO, acoustic testing
and other such topics.

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Colophon
Director of publication: Peter De Clerck
Editor-in-chief: Jennifer Schlegel
Art Director: Werner Custers
Contributing Editors: Alex Carrella, Olga Korosteleva,
Jenny Lau, Gregoire Lenoble, Eva Moysan and Thierry
Olbrechts
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Front cover image:

Airbus A350

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Airbus, Airbus Group Innovations,
Rolls-Royce, Hispano-Suiza, IRKUT, Airbus Helicopters,
Belgian Defense, Embraer and Shutterstock

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