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Infi niti Red Bull Racing is delivering on its product promise by remaining dominant in one of the most competitive environments imaginable. Not a bad day at the offi ce. Visit ANSYS.COM/Infi nitiRedBullRacing to learn how simulation software can help you realize your product promise. ANSYS.indd 1 7/15/13 11:37 AM Innovative design can make anything lighter. Minimizing component weight with advanced engineering, technology and materials. Without sacrificing performance. It’s what we do. More at altair.com/lightweight. Altair-Product Design.indd 1 7/15/13 11:39 AM Ad Number: PP-MTU-14567B Trim: 7.875" x 10.75" Perich Job No: 14567 Bleed: NA Colors: 4/C Live: .25" from trim Format: Page Ad Version: 2.27.13 Degrees of Freedom by Jamie J. Gooch Simplifi ation vs. Certifi ation started computing in the age of DOS, which (for any of you But that begs the question: If and when all design engineers not old enough to remember and for those old enough to are capable of running simulations, how can we tell who the real forget) required you to type in a command whenever you simulation experts are? wanted the operating system to perform its duties. I had the NAFEMS, an association dedicated to the application of sim- Imost common commands memorized. Say I wanted to copy a file ulation, has an answer for that question. As we reported (deskeng. from my cutting-edge 10MB hard drive to my 5.25” floppy disk, com/articles/aabkjs.htm), the association introduced the Profes- I would type “copy c:filename.ext a:” at the command prompt. sional Simulation Engineer (PSE) designation at NAFEMS With the right commands, I could make that big, ugly beige World Congress 2013 in June. box do some pretty amazing things. Not everyone could do those things when faced with only a monochrome C> prompt and a Getting Certified blinking cursor. It was specialized knowledge. The PSE program consists of two parts: the PSE Competency Then the graphical user interface and mouse took over, and Tracker and PSE Certification. The Competency Tracker is an all my DOS knowledge didn’t seem so special. Now everyone online tool that lists competencies and educational resources, and can copy a file with a drag and drop. But that’s how initially com- provides a means for engineers and/or their employers to track plicated technologies proliferate quickly: they get easier to use. their achievements. PSE Certification is designed to accommo- date both simulation experts and newcomers, according to the association. Engineers who are already in the field need to apply How can we tell who the real and prove their competencies via their academic background and simulation experts are? prior work, while newcomers follow a path to certification that includes Entry, Standard and Advanced levels. For experienced simulation users who apply to be certi- Expertise Still Needed fied, two independent PSE Certification Assessors — people As we show in our two-part series on simulation software for deemed to be experts in simulation analysis — will schedule small- and medium-sized businesses that continues in this an interview with the applicants. After the interview, in which issue, software vendors would like to make their software as evidence supporting the applicant’s experience is discussed, ubiquitous as the personal computer has become. It’s hard to the assessors can recommend certification, defer the submis- argue that they shouldn’t, given all the benefits of simulation- sion with guidance, not recommend certification, or request led design. To do so, they need to make the software so easy more information. to use that it doesn’t require such a high level of specialized Entry-level PSEs are required to find and work with a mentor, expertise. That’s where the danger comes in. who will monitor their workplace experience and competency If a design engineer runs a simulation by clicking a few icons, levels, which the applicant has to track in a logbook. Once the but doesn’t understand what’s happening behind the scenes, it entry-level applicant is ready to be certified, the mentor must ap- could be disastrous on many different levels. Does simplifying prove the logbook, which is turned over to a NAFEMS assess- simulation mean dumbing down the simulation so much that ment panel along with an assessment fee. it’s not useful, or does it mean making complicated simulations From the information available at nafems.org/pse, it certainly easy to perform and understand? That’s the kernel of the debate doesn’t seem like certification will be a “rubber stamp” process. being moderated by DE’s Senior Editor Kenneth Wong on our That’s a good thing, as a certification is only meaningful if it is a Virtual Desktop blog, where he hosted a panel to discuss the true measure of an applicant’s ability and knowledge. However, pros and cons of simplified simulation. You can read about and a process that is too burdensome could dissuade some prospec- listen to a podcast of the discussion, and add to it with your own tive applicants from seeking certification. Time will tell whether comments, here: deskeng.com/virtual_desktop/?p=7293. the balance is right. If it is, the PSE Certification program could As Bernt Isaksen of dyNOVA Engineering Simulation noted boost best practices in engineering analysis while providing engi- in his comments on the debate, “When the solution approaches neers with a means to separate themselves from people who can final design, the simplified simulations will not be sufficient any- run simulations, but aren’t simulation experts. more, and a more detailed and thorough simulation is needed. This should be handled by the simulation expert with a tool that Jamie Gooch is the managing editor of Desktop Engineering. can include all the important details.” Contact him at [email protected]. 2 DESKTOP ENGINEERING August 2013 /// deskeng.com de0813_DOF.indd 2 7/15/13 11:54 AM Smarter Embedded Designs, Faster Deployment The combination of NI LabVIEW system design software and reconfi gurable I/O LabVIEW system design (RIO) hardware helps small design teams with varied expertise develop demanding software offers ultimate embedded applications in less time. Using this graphical system design approach, fl exibility through FPGA programming, simplifi es you can take advantage of the same integrated platform to program embedded code reuse, and helps processors and FPGAs for faster application development in industries ranging you program the way you from energy to transportation, manufacturing, and life sciences. think–graphically. >> Accelerate your productivity at ni.com/embedded-platform 800 453 6202 ©2013 National Instruments. All rights reserved. LabVIEW, National Instruments, NI, and ni.com are trademarks of National Instruments. Other product and company names listed are trademarks or trade names of their respective companies. 12118 12118 Smarter Embedded Design Ad_US.indd 1 6/26/13 10:22 AM NationalInstruments.indd 1 7/15/13 11:39 AM August 2013 VOLUME 18/ISSUE 12 ENGINEERING COMPUTING 46 Review: And the New Speed Champ Is... The Ciara Kronos 800S single-socket system beats all previous workstations. By David Cohn 50 Storage is Key to HPC Often overlooked in the bandolier of high- performance computing components is storage, where speed equals results and reliability equals success. By Frank J. Ohlhorst Design Software TEST 52 Watching Your Weight What design engineers need to know about measuring weight or for Composites force with load cells, load pins and tension links. Software vendors respond to By Del Williams 22 heightened interest in composites to DESIGN optimize weight and performance. By Beth Stackpole 54 Solid Edge Comes Out Swinging with ST6 SIMULATE New release aims to attract new users by focusing on improving productivity and collaboration. 16 Simulation for Small Businesses, Part 2 By Jamie J. Gooch Vendors strive to expand simulation software use by small businesses. By Pamela J. Waterman FOCUS ON COMPOSITES 19 The Science of Combustion Achates Power uses CFD simulation and optimization 26 Beneath the Layers: Composite Complexity to fi nd the best opposed-piston engine design. Ply orientation, drape simulation and wrinkle prediction are the By Kenneth Wong keys to working with composites. By Kenneth Wong 39 Impact, Drop & Crash Testing and Analysis Impact analysis, virtual drop testing and virtual crash 30 Key Problems in Composite Simulation analysis are important fi nite element analysis tools. Whether you are looking at pre-processing, post-processing or By Tony Abbey material testing, composites are orders of magnitude more com- plex than traditional materials such as metal and plastic. PROTOTYPE By Mark Clarkson 34 A Composite Sketch of ACMs 42 3D Bioprinting Advances Advanced composite materials earn the This approach to tissue engineering is getting really right to replace alternatives through exciting (unless you’re a robot).