Car Body Stiffness Software
The car has become a symbol of our freedom and, after our homes, is perhaps the second largest purchase most of us will make. Modern cars have come a long way from the old Ford Model T and even from the cars that were on the roads in the seventies and eighties. Now, car manufacturers must meet far more stringent legislation on emissions and they also have to be much more frugal in order to make the most of expensive fuel.
They also have to pass stricter safety tests but yet still are fun to drive. Using car body stiffness software allows car designers to see how their designs will behave on the road. By modelling the stiffness of the chassis and other components, the designers can anticipate how the car will handle in the real world.
The importance of car body stiffness software
Clearly, how a car handles is a major part of the overall experience of owning and driving the car and this will also have a heavy impact on sales. The importance of car body stiffness software goes a lot further than this, however. Achieving a high degree of body stiffness is vital for safety as well. It will affect how the car steers and how well it brakes. Achieving such car body stiffness at the lowest possible weight is a vital balancing act for designers and the simulation software allows them to see how trimming back the weight of components will affect the car.
Car body stiffness software in context
It is obvious that car body stiffness software is not used in isolation. Instead, car designers utilize an entire suite of applications, from CAD and CAM applications to more specialist packages. ESI Group is a pioneer of virtual prototyping software and an expert in the physics of materials. The company produces a range of applications designed to allow clients to test out their designs in a virtual world before committing the time, money and resources needed to produce a physical prototype. This approach allows car companies to improve their models and bring new cars to market in a shorter time frame.
The partner of choice for car body stiffness software
ESI Group is based in Paris, France and has been a leader in the area of virtual prototyping for more than 40 years. It employs over 1,000 experts in related fields and operates in 40 countries across the globe. The company is active in all key industry sectors, including aerospace, defense, engineering, heavy industry, shipping, energy and consumer goods.