Abstract
In the product design process computer-aided engineering and optimization tolls are widely utilized in order to reduce the total development time and cost. Since several simulation tools are involved in the process, information losses, omissions, or errors are common and the importance of seamless information exchange among the tools has been increased. In this work, ISO STEP standards are adopted to represent the neutral format for structural analysis and optimization. The schema of AP209 defined the information of finite element analysis is used and the new schema is proposed to describe the information of structural optimization based on the STEP methodology. The schema is implemented by EXPRESS, information modeling language, and ST-Developer is employed to generate C++ classes and STEP Rose Library by using the schema denoted. To substantiate the proposed approach, the information access interfaces of the finite element modeling software (FEMAP), structural optimization software(GENESIS) and in-house topology optimization program are developed. Examples are shown to validate the information exchange of finite element analysis and structural optimization using STEP standards.
