The automotive sector was particularly well represented at last year’s virtual tradeshow and conference: HxGN LIVE Design & Engineering 2021. There were industry leading speakers giving presentations on important topics like eMobility, sustainability and the latest R&D projects.
In this blog post we present direct links to four of them, handpicked by the automotive experts. It should be noted that these are a representative sample, and there are hundreds more presentations worth watching.
With speakers from all parts of the automotive industry, there was so much content it would be quite an undertaking to watch it all. Because of that we’ve made everything available totally free to anyone with an interest. This is an open access online library of design and engineering presentations from some of the world’s top engineers, scientists and industry leaders. We hope that the four presentations discussed below will act as gateways, leading you to further avenues of research.
Please enjoy these presentations, but also take the time to explore the rest of the library.
1. How will autonomous mobility services affect the future powertrain?
The exciting world of autonomous vehicles is an area of research promising insights into sustainable transport with a convincing business case.
In this presentation Victor Lejona, technical specialist at Cenex, and Henry Tanner, principal engineer at Hexagon’s Systems Dynamics Centre of Excellence, discuss a project investigating the benefits of ultra-durable drivetrains in autonomous vehicles with the potential of extending the life span from 250,000 km into the region of 1,000,000 km. By increasing the lifetime of a vehicle we can spread the carbon cost of production and reduce the overall carbon emissions per kilometre. This is a fascinating area of research, looking directly into the future of transportation.
2. Romax Spectrum – full system ePowertrain NVH simulation
After the three main days of HxGN LIVE, we held a dedicated training day and it’s from that section we draw our next highlight: Romax Spectrum – full system ePowertrain NVH simulation. Even those not directly working in the area of noise, vibration and harshness simulation (NVH) will find this presentation interesting.
Romax Spectrum is a tool for predicting, analysing, interpreting and optimising the noise and vibration behaviour of electromechanical drive systems. Senior engineering analyst Bella Abdy gives an engaging presentation of a typical workflow within the software. She shows how the simulation highlights vibration levels at different points on the model, especially on the mount locations where vibrations are transferred to the rest of the vehicle.
The presentation concludes with a video of a virtual vehicle demonstrating the noise levels at different speeds. Bella then shows how the simulation makes it possible to switch off and on the different sources of noise like gears, electric machinery and radial forces.
3. Using collaborative R&D projects to drive sustainability in advanced power transmissions
What does the future hold for CAE in the automotive sector? What projects are currently in the pipeline? The Systems Dynamics Centre of Excellence is at the forefront of many research and development projects.
The third presentation, entitled Using collaborative R&D projects to drive sustainability in advanced power transmissions, features Barry James, chief technical officer and head of research and innovation at Hexagon’s Systems Dynamics Centre of Excellence, talking about R&D within his team. He gives a rundown of some past examples of collaborative R&D at the Systems Dynamics Centre of Excellence. In the second part of the presentation, he talks about current areas of research and collaborators including several government funded projects. Those with an interest in the sustainability of propulsion systems in automotive will certainly want to watch this presentation.
4. Development of whole lifecycle environmental impact reduction for long-life ePowertrains
Continuing the theme of sustainability and following on from the first recommendation in this list, we have a presentation by Andrew Johnston, head of electrical and electronic engineering for Applied Solutions within Hexagon’s Manufacturing Intelligence division. Andrew gives his presentation context by first discussing the evolution of automotive transport from the combustion engine to hybridisation and fully electric. From there he moves on to talk about some of the opportunities to increase sustainability of electric vehicles focusing on long life ePowertrains.
This research has managed to substantially increase the reliability and lifetime of transport-as-a-service (TaaS) and connected autonomous vehicle (CAV) platforms.
These four presentations, and hundreds more covering many aspects of CAE, are freely available to all. Just visit webpage and click Watch OnDemand. Follow the link below:
Access the full list of presentations here for free
If you have comments, questions or queries regarding any of the content, don’t hesitate to get in touch. You can contact us directly through the archive by scrolling to the bottom of the page and clicking on “contact the organiser” or use the Contact Us section of our webpage.
