Analyzing characteristics of geometries

• US 6,526,550 B1
• Filed: 09/29/2000
• Issued: 02/25/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Rengarajan, Govindarajan, Farral, Linda J., Ghanime, George H., Röhl, Peter J., Badding, Bruce J., Wagener, Julia A., Johnson, David M., Farral, Christopher J., Srinivas, Mullahalli V.
• Primary Examiner(s): Smith, Matthew
• Assistant Examiner(s): Liu, Andrea
• Application Number:
  US09/676,419
• Time in Patent Office: 879 Days
• Field of Search: 716/5
• US Class Current: 703/2
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2119/08 Thermal analysis or thermal optimisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/23 using finite element methods [FEM] or finite difference methods [FDM]

Abstract

A system and method for analyzing a baseline geometry and, optionally, a modified geometry. The method can include generating a numerical representation of a baseline geometry having baseline elements identified with first identifiers or element identifiers, and then assigning second identifiers or analyzer identifiers to the elements. A selected characteristic of the geometry, such as structural loading, is analyzed with reference to the second or analyzer identifiers. At least one of the elements of the geometry can then be altered in a manner that at least partially automatically adjusts the surrounding geometry, and the same first identifier or element identifier is associated with the altered element as was associated with the baseline, unaltered element. The altered geometry can be analyzed with respect to a third identifier (or another analyzer identifier) and a correspondence between the identifiers, the baseline element, and the altered element can be established and maintained. Accordingly, the boundary conditions and/or the mesh applied to the baseline geometry can be automatically applied to the altered geometry by referring to the first or element identifiers. Therefore, the time and effort required to analyze the altered geometry can be reduced when compared to the effort typically required by conventional methods.

Claims

1. A method in a computer system for analyzing a geometry, comprising;

receiving a representation of the geometry, including a geometric element with an element identifier;

receiving a mapping between the element identifier and an analyzer identifier;

for each command to be applied to the geometric element, determining the analyzer identifier for the element from the mapping using the element identifier; and

generating a command that identifies the element by the determined analyzer identifier.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein receiving a representation of the geometry is performed by an analyzer module and generating a command that identifies the element is performed external to the analyzer module.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising analyzing a selected characteristic of the geometry with reference to the analyzer identifier.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein generating a command includes assigning at least one of a mesh and a boundary condition to the element.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the analyzer identifier is a baseline analyzer identifier, further comprising:

receiving a representation of an altered version of the geometry having the element replaced by an altered element different than the element and identified by the same element identifier;

receiving a mapping between the element identifier and an altered analyzer identifier;

for each command to be applied to the altered geometric element, determine the altered analyzer identifier for the element from the mapping using the element identifier; and

generating command that identifies the alter element by the determined altered analyzer identifier.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving an input to change the element or portion of the element to form a representation of an altered element different than the element and identified by the same element identifier, and automatically adjusting adjacent elements and/or adjacent portions of the element to account for the change.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the representation of the geometry is generated by a geometry generator, and further wherein receiving a representation of the geometry includes receiving a representation of the geometric element with the element identifier automatically assigned by the geometry generator.

8. A method in a computer system for analyzing a geometry, comprising;

receiving a numerical representation of the geometry, including a geometric element identified by a first identifier;

assigning a second identifier to the geometric element to link the second identifier with the numerical representation of the geometric element;

establishing a correlation between the first identifier, the second identifier and the geometric element;

analyzing selected characteristics of the geometry with reference to the second identifier;

receiving an input to change the geometric element or portion of the geometric element to form a numerical representation of an altered geometric element different than the geometric element and identified by the same first identifier, and automatically adjusting adjacent geometric elements and/or adjacent portions of the geometric element to account for the change;

linking a third identifier to the numerical representation of the altered geometric element;

establishing a correlation between the first identifier, the third identifier and the altered geometric element; and

analyzing selected characteristics of the alto version of the geometry, including the altered geometric element, with reference to the third identifier.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising selecting the geometry to include a representation of a turbine rotor.

10. A method in a computer system for analyzing a geometry, comprising;

receiving a numerical definition of the geometry, the numerical definition including a plurality of geometric elements;

assigning boundary conditions to at least one of the geometric elements;

analyzing selected characteristics of the geometry with a computer-based numerical analysis tool;

receiving an input to change the at least one geometric element or portion of the geometric element to form a numerical representation of an altered geometric element different than the geometric element;

automatically re-assigning the boundary conditions to the altered geometric element; and

analyzing selected characteristics of the geometry, including the altered geometric element, with the computer-based numerical analysis tool.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising automatically adjusting the boundary conditions to account for differences between the geometric element and the altered geometric element before re-assigning the boundary conditions to the altered geometric element.

12. A method in a computer system for analyzing a geometry, comprising;

receiving a numerical definition of the geometry, the numerical definition including a plurality of geometric elements;

applying a mesh of first grid lines to the geometry, the grid lines being spaced apart from each other according to a first spacing rule;

analyzing selected characteristics of the geometry with a computer-based analyzer;

receiving an input to change at, least one geometric element or portion of the geometric element to form a numerical representation of an altered geometric element different than the geometric element;

automatically applying a mesh of second grid lines to the altered geometric element, the second grid lines being spaced apart from each other according to a second spacing rule generally the same as the first spacing rule; and

analyzing selected characteristics of the geometry, including the altered geometric element, with the computer-based analyzer.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

assigning boundary conditions to the at least one geometric element; and

automatically re-assigning the boundary conditions to the altered geometric element.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein the at least one geometric element is initially identified by a first identifier, further comprising:

assigning a second identifier different than the first identifier to the at least one geometric element;

establishing a correlation between the first and second identifiers; and

assigning the same first identifier to the altered geometric element.

15. A method in a computer system for performing structural analysis of a selected configuration, comprising:

generating a numerical representation of a first geometry using a computer-based geometry generator;

dividing the numerical representation into a plurality of elements;

defining and identifying first edges and first faces for each element;

assigning first tags to each first edge and each first face;

transferring numerical definitions of the first edges and the first faces to a computer-based structural analyzer;

assigning second tags to the first edges and the first faces in the structural analyzer;

establishing correlation between the first legs, the second tags and the elements;

applying boundary conditions to the first edges and/or the first faces with reference to the second tags;

performing a computer-based structural analysis of the first geometry with reference to the second tags using the structural analyzer;

receiving an input to change at least one element or portion of the at least one element to form a numerical representation of an altered element different than the at least one element and identified by the same first identifier, and automatically adjusting adjacent elements and/or adjacent portions of the at least one element to account for the change and form a second geometry having the altered element with second edges in place of the first edges and a second face in place of the first face;

assigning the same first tags to the second edges and face as were assigned to the corresponding first edges and face;

transferring numerical definitions of the second edges and the second face to the structural analyzer;

automatically re-assigning the boundary conditions to the second edges and/or the second face by referring to the first tags; and

performing a structural analysis of the second geometry using the structural analyzer.

16. A computer-based system for analyzing a geometry, comprising:

a geometry generator capable of generating a numerical model of a geometry, the numerical model having a geometric element identified by an element identifier;

an analyzer capable of performing a numerical analysis of at least one selected characteristic of the geometry by applying boundary conditions to the geometry and solving equations governing the selected characteristic using analyzer identifiers different than the element identifiers, the analyzer being configured to automatically apply at least approximately the same boundary conditions to an element of the geometry and to an altered version of the element that is different than the element; and

an identifier tracker capable of tracking a correspondence between the element identifier, the analyzer identifier, the element, and the altered element.

17. The system of claim 16, further comprising a mesh generator configured to apply a first mesh of grid lines to the element and automatically apply a second mesh of grid lines to the altered version of the element with a spacing rule to grid lines of the first mesh being approximately the same as a spacing rule for grid lines of the second mesh.

18. A computer-readable medium storing and/or transmitting instructions which, when executed by a computer, perform a method for analyzing a geometry, the method comprising:

receiving a representation of the geometry, including a geometric element with an element identifier;

receiving a mapping between the element identifier and an analyzer identifier;

for each command to be applied to the geometric element, determining the analyzer identifier for the element from the mapping using the element identifier; and

generating a command that identifies the element by the determined analyzer identifier.