First Order Analysis for Automotive Designs

In current automotive development, innovations to reduce development time and to use a virtual prototype have been numerous and progressive. Computer Aided Engineering (CAE) has played an important role in these innovations. CAE numerically estimates the performance of automobiles and proposes alternative ideas that lead to higher performance without building physical prototypes. However, current CAE can not usually be used at the initial design phase due to their difficult, and complex functions and characteristics. In this paper, we propose a new type of CAE, First Order Analysis (FOA). The basic ideas include: (1) graphic interfaces using Microsoft /Excel to achieve a product-oriented analysis, (2) use of mechanics of materials to provide useful information regarding structural mechanisms, and (3) a topology optimization method using function oriented elements. Also, some prototype software is presented to confirm the applicability of method presented here to the automotive designs.