Ford Motor Company

At the 2002 Abaqus Users' Conference, one of the keynote presenters was Michael DeJack from Ford Motor Company. In this presentation DeJack described how the use of durability CAE in engine engineering at Ford Motor Company has grown substantially over the past few years. During this time, Abaqus use has grown at a comparable rate, as the number of users and the skill of users have significantly increased. Abaqus has seen a wide variety of applications in helping to understand and solve difficult engineering problems.

Several analyses are presented as case studies to illustrate the role played by Abaqus in engine design: Engine Assembly (Cylinder Bore Distortion and Head Gasket Sealing), Cylinder Head Stress and Fatigue, Engine Block Bulkhead and Main Bearing Cap Stress and Fatigue, Engine Block Assembly Crankshaft Bore Distortion, Exhaust Manifold Stress and Fatigue, and Cylinder Head Residual Stress from Casting Heat Treatment.

SIMULIA Success at Ford Motor Company

• Improved gasket sealing and extended piston life
• Custom material model predicted TMF life within 30% of test
• Submodeling predicted the correct location of fatigue crack initiation in cylinder block threads