More Design Insight - Faster! Optimization! Sensitivity Analysis! What Ifs! Design for Six Sigma! Seamless integration with Parametric CAD! These are the capabilities that provide you with More Design Insight - Faster! More design insight allows you to save on material, meet weight goals, create more robust designs and ultimately be more competitive. DesignXplorer VT lets you understand in one single analysis the relationship between largely varying parameters and the performance of a product.

Variational Technology

Look beyond traditional aspects of simulation and analyze entire systems with ANSYS DesignXplorer VT, a robust Variational Technology solution that gives users a broader view of design concepts providing complete FEA results for every design point. Depending on the analysis problem, Variational Technology can provide acceleration factors between 10 and several thousand. With Variational Technology, users can approach product design decisions much more efficiently.

Using ANSYS Variational Technology to automatically calculate the entire design envelope within a single finite element solution, DesignXplorer VT allows users to perform quick and accurate what-if scenarios to periodically test design ideas. A traditional design of experiments (DOE) approach requires many solutions to capture the behavioral changes due to parameter variations. In fact, the practical limit for DOE is about 10 discrete parameters, but DesignXplorer VT handles over 100 discrete parameters even when combined with other parameter types.

DesignXplorer VT allows designers and analysts to make intelligent design decisions given multiple competing objectives. These variations can include geometric CAD parameters, ANSYS ParaMesh parameters, material properties and shell thicknesses. DesignXplorer VT's proprietary Variational Technology offers the capacity to study, quantify and graph the structural analysis response to alternative design parameters.

DesignXplorer VT addresses many kinds of parameters:

• Geometric variations (CAD or ParaMesh)
• Discrete variations (active or inactive status of spot welds, stiffening ribs, bolts, etc.)
• Element property variations (shell or layer thickness, spring stiffness, point mass)
• Material variations (engineered plastics, composites, metals)

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Design for Six Sigma (DFSS)

Design for Six Sigma (DFSS) is an analysis technique for assessing the effect of uncertain input parameters and assumptions on your model. A Design for Six Sigma analysis allows you to determine the extent to which uncertainties in the model affect the results of an analysis. Based on a probabilistic characterization, Design for Six Sigma enables you to quantify the quality of your product addressing issues such as minimizing warranty costs and quantifying the reliability and robustness of the product. DesignXplorer VT supports DFSS by allowing you to define Uncertainty Variables, which are used in a probabilistic analysis.

Figure: Histogram of the Maximum Equivalent Stress

Figure: Cumulative Distribution Function of the Maximum Equivalent Stress

Figure: Probability Table showing the value Maximum Equivalent stress at different Probability Values

Finally, DesignXplorer VT interacts exclusively with ANSYS simulation software in both the ANSYS Workbench environment and the ANSYS environment. It also offers bi-directional associativity with leading CAD packages such as Autodesk Inventor, SolidWorks, Solid Edge, Mechanical Desktop, Unigraphics and Pro/ENGINEER through the ANSYS Workbench environment. DesignXplorer VT uses ANSYS Parametric Design Language (APDL) for interacting with the ANSYS environment.

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