Analyzing Adaptive Expertise and Contextual Exercise in Computer-Aided Design

Abstract

We have been involved in research work in the field of finite element analysis (FEA) integration with computer aided design (CAD) for several years and have developed several concepts and tools that have aroused interest and shown efficiency. In the meantime, both the evolution of our research developments (on topics like geometry comparison, geometry reconstruction and simplification, mixed-dimensional analysis and topology optimization) and the evolution of CAD systems and CAD kernels made us reconsider our database organization. This led to the design of an original development environment and database organization referred to as the Unified Topological Model (UTM). The main interests of this new CAD/FEA database organization is its ability to tackle multi-platform CAD/FEA integration (handling geometries coming from different CAD kernels), mixed-dimensional modeling and analysis (3D solid geometry mixed and integrated with surface geometry and curvilinear geometry) and topology optimization (TO) procedures. The paper presents the structure of this new research development environment and the original concepts underlying it. The UTM environment is strongly designed around object-oriented computer programming concepts and it is focused towards generality, modularity and ability to evolve. The paper also briefly presents some of the most important features and algorithms that have been integrated, at this point, into the UTM environment.

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