Multimodeling strategy for assessment of complex mechanical systems

Abstract Engineering modeling plays an important role in the overall design process for a complex mechanical and/or structural system, yet the development and generation of a suitable finite element model for the static, dynamic, or thermal analysis of the system is one of the most tedious and time consuming tasks in engineering analysis. Enormous amounts of resources (human and computational) are dedicated and lost to the development of complex mathematical models that do not accomplish the function they are intended to fulfill, namely to produce reliable results. This paper presents a strategy for complex system modeling using the application of finite element modeling techniques. In this approach, the model reflects the objective of the analysis and its associated attributes. Said attributes indicate the type of analysis required, the type of loading and boundary conditions, the type of geometry and the environment for the analysis, including hardware, software, and time-frame resources. To illustrate this strategy, the paper concludes by presenting a model of a flexible internal combustion engine system based on the Stiller-Smith mechanism, in which a combination of solid, beam, and gap elements is used to represent an entire, three-dimensional system. The model presented is used to produce elastodynamic response needed for system design.