Research Activities at Enginsoft

EnginSoft promotes, supports, and coordinates research activities involving computational technologies at any level. Our close relationships with universities and research institutes and our presence in research projects reflect EnginSoft's forward-looking attitude. Thanks to our highly qualified specialists which include engineers of various disciplines, PhDs, researchers and professors, EnginSoft maintains a leading role in the Italian and European engineering and software research community.

Since 1994, we are accredited by the "Ministry for Education, University, and Research" as reliable partner for research purposes in the fields of Computer Aided Engineering and Virtual Testing. These credentials are required for being involved in research projects funded by the European Community.

We are currently involved in the following European Projects:

	NADIA New Automotive components Designed for and manufactured by Intelligent processing of light Alloys		FENET Project
	EnginSoft is Technical leader in AutoSim		The METRO project - MEtallurgic TRaining On-line
	ESOCAET project (European School of Computer Aided Engineering Technology)		NUFRIC (Numerical based Medium Level Training on industrial Friction Problems)
	European Atelier for Engineering and Computational Science - EUA4X		ReadOut Project
	IDEAL (Integrated Development Routes for Optimized Cast Aluminium Components)		BENIMPACT Building’s ENvironmental IMPACT evaluator & optimizer

NADIA

www.nadiaproject.org

NADIA European Project
New Automotive components Designed for and manufactured by Intelligent processing of light Alloys

Objectives
NADIA will exploit the potential of light multifunctional alloys for car and truck components and systems through advances in nano & micro technologies. The project has the following multi-level S&T objectives:

Final level:

to produce light alloys cast component prototypes for the EU transport industry, as proof-of-concept of the intelligent processing strategy;
to integrate new simultaneous nano-technology based design tools within production and engineering processes
to assess vehicle components & systems integrated in larger entities (chassis, vehicle bodies).

Intermediate level:

to set up multi-scale (Nano-, Micro-, Macro-: NM2) design & engineering tools;
to develop innovative engineering and production processing solutions, for more cost-effective standardised production;
to set up testing procedures & standards for designing & producing reliable light alloy components

Basic level:

modelling of nano-scale phenomena involved in solidification processing of light alloys;
describing, starting from a nano-scale, the effects of a wide set of alloying elements on components behaviour

Project Plan

NADIA includes 24 Partners, and covers, into 8 WPs, the full design & production chain for automotive: materials producers & equipment suppliers, engineering & design companies, foundries, component & car manufacturers, linked with RTD centers & Universities, focussed on materials, processing, engineering, application. NADIA provides an integrated combination of materials, processes and the new NM2 simultaneous engineering tools for the production of automotive demonstrators.

AUTOSIM

www.autosim.org

AUTOSIM will establish an international team of leading experts from the European automotive industry with the aim of developing a preliminary set of best practice guidelines and standard analytical procedures for a profitable application of simulation tools. The adoption of the above guidelines will enable a broad range of personnel to successfully carry out simulations, increasing the efficiency and improving the quality results.
AUTOSIM team coordinates ongoing research and assists industry in planning its future implementation strategy for simulation. With these actions, AUTOSIM will contribute substantially to advancing design techniques in the European automotive industry.

ESOCAET

www.esocaet.com
(European School Of CAE Technology)

This project aims to set up a high-level school in the field of CAE technologies. The school is addressed to both professional experts dealing with advanced applications in the industry and companies that need education about CAE technologies. A committee of professors from major universities and industry managers plans activities and selects the best teachers available in the market. The key factors of ESOCAET are the customizable education programs, the practical approach to engineering issues, and an overall quality aligned with international standards. In accordance with the European dimension of the initiative, lesson and documents are released in English.
In this project, Enginsoft acts as a co-operating pilot enterprise.

EUA4X

www.eua4x.org

European Atelier for Engineering and Computational Sciences

The EUA4X (European Atelier for Engineering and Computational Sciences) is a three years project (2005-2007) financed by European Union Marie Curie Conferences and Training Courses (contract # MSCF-CT-2004-013336). EUA4X offers a European wide training environment for the carrier development of young researchers through a coherent program of conferences, training courses, lecture series and workshops. To preserve and structure the know how, strong use will be made of virtual events, to make the outcomes of the project available for the development of competences of a larger community during the project and far beyond.

The Atelier is designed to promote both the trans-national training of junior researchers and to disseminate among scientist complementary approaches for multidisciplinary application in the area of applied scientific computing and its applications to a wide number of problems that are currently at the forefront of research. The program of events tackles both enabling technologies in the field of scientific computing (numerical grid generation, finite elements, finite difference and finite volume methods, higher order methods) and a number of important applications (flow processes, design of new materials, subsurface flow, aero-acustics, agro-food technology, large scale industrial applications) to advance knowledge in a wide range of technical processes and physical phenomena of very high societal interest.

IDEAL

www.idealproject.org
(Integrated Development Routes for Optimized Cast Aluminum Components)

IDEAL is a research project aimed at achieving the efficient integration of the various tools of process simulation into design chain, to optimize aluminum castings all the way, from design to prototype production. The set up of integrated software tool and methodology to support Concurrent Engineering of Aluminum Cast Components will reduce the development time and improve the product quality.
The main scientific objective is to achieve a better understanding of the evolution of the aluminum structure through the casting process stages (including filling of die, solidification, and cooling).
Great interest is on residual stresses in the component and also on the relationship between casting process parameters and resulting structural properties, with particular reference to crash behavior. Technological objectives are aimed to a more efficient exploitation of material, by supplying realistic thermo mechanical characteristics to designers.

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FENET

www.fe-net.org
(Finite Element Network)

FENET is a consortium of organizations (coordinated by NAFEMS) with a strong common interest in the successful exploitation of finite element method (FEM) and related technology by European industry. The network is asked to support the uptake of FEM technology in industry, to disseminate latest research results and to develop best practice. The final goals are to improve quality and effectiveness of finite element applications at any level, to promote the knowledge transfer between industries, and to help understanding of industry's FEM-related needs in academia and research institutes.
The technology issues treated by FENET can be grouped into four broad themes such as Durability & Life Extension, Product & System Optimization, Multi-Physics & Analysis Technology, and Education & Dissemination. Results are addressed to the European industries operating in all sectors.
The role of Enginsoft in the FENET network is to exploit FEM performances for the Process and Manufacturing Industry.

METRO

www.improve.it/metro
(MEtallurgical TRaining On-line)

METRO MEtallurgical TRaining On-line is an European Union Leonardo da Vinci project (I-04-B-F-PP-154035): Leonardo da Vinci is the action programme for implementing the European Community's vocational training policy, supporting and supplementing action taken by the Member States. Its aim is to use transnational cooperation to enhance quality, promote innovation and support the European dimension of vocational training systems and practices.
In specific terms, Leonardo da Vinci pursues three central aims: to facilitate occupational integration, improve the quality of training and access to this training, and to boost the contribution of training to innovation.
Accordingly, the main objective of the METRO project is the realisation of training courses on metallurgy, which could be easily participated by those who are interested in developing and widening their knowledge on this special topic.
The METRO courses are designed to be completely free from the conventional teaching methods. In fact a METRO course with the help of modern e-learning technologies can be followed at any time by remote students and can be distributed in a self-tailored way. For example the Trainee can choose to attend a few hours a day for several days or some weeks.
A specific objective of the METRO project is to evaluate this innovative courses, in term of efficacy and quality: this evaluation activity is to be carried out by evaluation Students by the end of June 2006. The courses will be evaluated mainly using two tools: the on-line tests and the quality questionnaire.

NUFRIC

www.nufric.org
(Numerical based Medium Level Training on Industrial Friction Problems)

NUFRIC intends to develop material based on computer information technology,
directed to technology and science that can significantly improve teaching and training. The main objective of the project is to transfer knowledge that currently stays in research circles to the basic level technical education. Since it is challenging to transfer complicated knowledge into material that can be quickly and profitably taught to students and young professionals, NUFRIC has been limited to a particular subject of computer-oriented numerical methods: contact-friction-wear of mechanical parts, a subject that in any case has great technical and economic interest and therefore potential impact on employment.
It is important to notice that this kind of work is not currently available: most - if not all - of the printed and Internet material are at the advanced level. The role of EnginSoft is related to the identification of vocational training requirements shown mainly by professionals at work, and the development of corresponding training material and methods, as well as dissemination of the results of the project.

READOUT

The research project concerns the development of displacement transduction and signal amplification systems able to operate in the audio frequency range with sensitivity near the quantum limit. The ultimate goal is their use in the planned resonant gravitational wave detectors of new generation which promise high sensitivity on a wide frequency band (1-5 kHz). The transduction amplification system, which is the aim of the project, is constituted by a capacitive displacement transducer, an impedance matching network, and a SQUID (Superconducting Quantum Interference Device) amplifier. The goal requires action on all the elements that constitute the transduction chain both by means of an improvement of techniques and devices already employed and by means of the development and use of new elements. In particular, two-stage SQUID amplifiers able to operate down to 100 mK will be realized in order to bring the energy resolution from the current 100 hbar to less than 10 hbar(1hbar ? 1.05x10 -34 J Hz-1). The energy resolution and the corresponding noise temperature will be evaluated through a complete characterization of the noise sources of the SQUID amplifier. The electrical matching network will be realized in order to make the effect of losses and resonances negligible in the frequency range of interest. The sensitivity improvement in the displacement transduction will be pursued by means of mechanical amplification systems. This solution is innovative for the resonant gravitational wave detectors and requires a preliminary simulation study. After the realization of a prototype, measurements will be performed to evaluate the mechanical losses and to verify the vibrational properties and the mechanical gain.