Integrated software for mechanical CAE

This article gives details of the application of CAE methods and tools to the structural design of a Winchester disk drive conducted by SDRC using the I-DEAS mechanical CAE system. The approach described is not limited to disk drives, but has been applied successfully to a variety of products and systems. One of the innovations in the project was the use of specially defined structural elements which permit the modelling and analysis of active control systems within a commercial structural analysis software package. This alleviated the usual problems of using separate structural and control system analysis codes and therefore illustrates the level of integration achievable in CAE systems.