When I hear McLaren, I think of F1 greats like Hunt, Lauda, Prost, Senna, Hakkinen and a parade of other drivers right up to today’s pilots, Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton. So it was a bit of a surprise to learn that the McLaren team’s latest challenge has been to design a bicycle, but not just an ordinary bike – one with a frame under 1kg! Read More

Brazil-based Embraer recently opened its first North American facility in Florida, a development that highlights the international nature of the aerospace industry. In years past, Boeing planes were built in Seattle, and Airbus planes were built at a few facilities across Europe. Now, the industry has an international supply base much like the automotive industry. Suppliers who were captive to one OEM are now providing parts to other OEMs, with the supply base supporting Boeing, Airbus, Bombardier, Embraer, and Comac. But what does this shift mean for the industry? Read More

This blog debates how simulation technology is becoming a dominant technology within the product development process. This initial entry presents a historical personal perspective of this evolution. (Apologies for the entry length, but please stick with it!)

It seems a long time ago (showing my age – the early 80s) when people at my university (Swansea) carried around their finite element programs in computer punch cards stacked so high you couldn’t see their faces. Professor Zienkiewicz, a pioneer of the finite element method, announced the arrival of a ‘real’ virtual reality where complex physical events would be simulated in real time. As one of his disciples released into industry in 1984, my first assignment was the impact simulation of a nuclear flask, where I needed to design my mesh on graph paper because I could only afford 2,000 solid elements. Consequently, the ‘actual’ reality was still a long way from achieving his vision.

Early Impact Simulation Containing Just 2,000 Elements
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