Concept Tool Integration and Vehicle Model Development

Abstract

This report presents SFE Concept which is a CAE software used for concept evaluation of vehicle bodies. The purpose of the report is to define a working methodology for Volvo Cars. It describes how to create and change concept models, the possibilities with the software and for what purposes and development phases SFE Concept can be used. A Volvo V50 SFE Concept body model was created. Some modifications were tested to the body model to evaluate the flexibility of SFE Concept. The body model was also verified against a reference FE-model. The verification process included pre-processing of FE-mesh with ANSA and performing CAE calculations in Radioss. SFE Concept is a very useful software tool to compare several concept proposals in early project phases to achieve a robust body design. It supports easy to change models but new test methods for body evaluation should be created to gain the full advantage of the flexibility.