MODULAR PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT WITH FOCUS ON MODELLING AND SIMULATION OF INTERFACES

Successful simulations of product behaviour and performance during product realisation require reliable and powerful models ofboth the components and the interfaces between them. The interfaces can be defined as the interacting contact surfaces where there is an attachment relationship between two mating faces. It is at these interfaces that friction, damping, lubrication and wear occur, all of which strongly influence the performance and behaviour of a technical system throughout its life. However, predictions of these phenomena are not a standard aspect of product development. Yet even if there are many different types of interface in a technical system, their behaviour and performance can all be organised and modelled in a similar way. This paper draws on the framework proposed by Sellgren [1] in presenting a general approach to modelling that incorporates the modelling of interfaces. Some interface models of apparent static contacts are presented. The approach is demonstrated using a system with both apparent static contacts and interface element models.