A digital engineering framework to facilitate automated data exchange between geometric inspection and structural analysis

Abstract

Digital engineering relies on continuous and interoperable flow of data across the various stages within the product lifecycle, which permits engineers to make more-informed downstream decisions in the lifecycle. A model-based feature information network (MFIN) was developed to enable storing, tracking, and retrieving externally stored metadata in the context of the geometric features of the corresponding computer aided-design (CAD) model. In this paper, we use the MFIN framework to dynamically capture deviations in the part geometry via physical measurements, and to create a new instance of the CAD model and the associated structural analysis. The contribution of this work is the creation of automated workflow software, which enables engineers to improve decision making by assessing (i) as-manufactured part geometries that fall out of specifications during the materials review board or (ii) in-service damages in parts during the maintenance, repair, or overhaul stages of the lifecycle. We demonstrate a use case to assess the structural integrity of a turbofan blade that had experienced foreign object damages during service. The automated flow of information from geometric inspection within structural analysis, enabled by MFIN, presents opportunities for effectively assessing products by utilizing their current geometries and improving decision making during the product lifecycle.