Visualizing and interacting with engineering analysis results can provide valuable insights into a system's performance and aid in engineering decision-making. Currently, the majority of analysis codes are developed as isolated solutions focusing only on the most prominent physical influence to a system, such as thermal, structural, fluid, etc. Frequently, more than one of these physical influences combined to force engineers to evaluate complex, coupled systems. Coupled analysis codes are becoming more common place tools for engineers demanding high fidelity simulations of complex systems. External code coupling solutions are emerging to permit generic coupling of separate, world class CAE solvers thus providing a more general class of multidisciplinary simulations. The true value of an engineering analysis is determined by the accuracy of the analysis code and the ability to interpret all of the significant information contained in the analysis results. Post-processing visualization tools have long been valued for their ability to aid engineers in interpreting all of the significant information contained in non-coupled CAE analysis results. The tie between non-coupled CAE solvers and post-processing visualization tools is poorly defined and currently few general post-processing visualization tools exist capable of interpreting a wide range of differing CAE results. The few tools capable of general post-processing require extensive development of dozens of data readers or translators to accommodate the slew of varying CAE data formats. As coupled CAE solutions emerge, a need exists to standardize the data exchange between CAE solvers and post-processing visualization tools. A format for this standard CAE data exchange, similar to IGES for CAD/CAM data, is proposed. The object of this research is to bridge the gap between external code couplers and post-processing visualization tools to initiate visualization and interaction with these externally coupled results. This fusion of two dissimilar technologies affords a greater level of result interpretation to support engineering decision-making. A general integration architecture is presented and a proof of concept with industry leading tools is developed to demonstrate the benefits of a tight integration between external code couplers and post-processing visualization tools. Examples are presented of visualizing externally coupled results. This research lets the engineer significantly interact with and visualize more complex problems, solved in preferred world class tools, in a timely and streamlined manner.

The design and manufacture of lightweight electric vehicles is becoming increasingly important with the rising cost of petrol, and the effects emissions from petrol powered vehicles are having on our environment. The University of Waikato and HybridAuto's Ultracommuter electric vehicle was designed, manufactured, and tested. The vehicle has been driven over 1800km with only a small reliability issue, indicating that the Ultracommuter was well designed and could potentially be manufactured as a solution to ongoing transportation issues. The use of titanium aluminide components in the automotive industry was researched. While it only has half the density of alloy steel, titanium aluminides have the same strength and stiffness as steel, along with good corrosion resistance, making them suitable as a lightweight replacement for steel components. Automotive applications identified that could benefit from the use of TiAl include brake callipers, brake rotors and electric motor components.

Σκοπός της εργασίας είναι η μελέτη της ανάπτυξης περιβάλλοντος εικονικής και επαυξημένης πραγματικότητας για την υποστήριξη ανθρωποκεντρικών διεργασιών στον τομέα της παραγωγής. Οι τεχνολογίες εικονικής και επαυξημένης πραγματικότητας μπορούν να μειώσουν σημαντικά το χρόνο και το κόστος ανάπτυξης προϊόντων και διεργασιών στην παραγωγή. Αυτή τη στιγμή υπάρχει ένα μεγάλο χάσμα μεταξύ των συμβατικών CAD-βασιζόμενων μεθόδων και των μεθόδων προηγμένης προτυποποίησης και επικύρωσης που προσφέρει η χρήση της εικονικής και επαυξημένης πραγματικότητας. Συνεπώς, υπάρχει ανάγκη εμπλουτισμού των εικονικών περιβαλλόντων με νοημοσύνη, μέσω ενσωμάτωσης της γνώσης, επιτρέποντας την πραγματοποίηση πολύπλοκων εργασιών, μειώνοντας την ανάγκη για ανάπτυξη φυσικών πρωτοτύπων και αυξάνοντας τη δυνατότητα επαναχρησιμοποίησης. Αφενός, περιβάλλοντα επαυξημένης πραγματικότητας που βασίζονται σε σημασιολογική γνώση καθώς και νέες μέθοδοι αλληλεπίδρασης με τον χρήστη μπορούν να παρέχουν τα μέσα για την επανατοποθέτηση του ανθρώπου στην παραγωγική διαδικασία. Αφετέρου, περιβάλλοντα εικονικής πραγματικότητας σε συνδυασμό με τη σημασιολογική γνώση μπορούν να παρέχουν μεθόδους και εργαλεία που ενσωματώνουν τις 3D γεωμετρίες με τις πληροφορίες και τη γνώση, έτσι ώστε οι μηχανικοί να μπορούν αποτελεσματικά να αξιολογήσουν και να διαχειρίζονται εικονικά πρωτότυπα σε ένα εμβυθισμένο και διαδραστικό περιβάλλον. Εντός της παρούσας διατριβής, αναπτύχθηκε μια γενική VR και AR προσέγγιση βασισμένη στην ανάλυση της ανθρώπινης εργασίας και των μεθόδων χαρτογράφησης της γνώσης που υλοποιούνται σε ένα πλαίσιο εικονικής και επαυξημένης πραγματικότητας. Το πλαίσιο VR/AR έχει αναπτυχθεί για να χρησιμοποιηθεί με την προσέγγιση μεθόδου δύο σταδίων χρησιμοποιώντας προηγμένες τεχνικές αλληλεπίδρασης. Η μέθοδος και το πλαίσιο που αναπτύχθηκαν επιβεβαιώνονται μέσα από μια σειρά πραγματικών δοκιμών στην παραγωγή, τόσο της αυτοκινητοβιομηχανίας όσο και της αεροδιαστημικής βιομηχανίας. Τέλος, η αξιολόγηση των προτεινόμενων μεθόδων και του πλαισίου βασίζεται σε πραγματικές δοκιμές στη βιομηχανία με χρήση ποσοτικών δεικτών, επιβεβαιώνοντας τη βελτίωση της ροής εργασιών σε σύγκριση με τη συμβατική. / The aim of this work is to study the development of virtual and augmented reality environment for the support of human-based processes in manufacturing. Virtual and augmented reality technologies can significantly reduce the development time and cost of products and processes in manufacturing. However there is currently a big gap between the conventional CAD-based processes and the advanced prototyping and validation methods offered with the use of VR and AR technology. There is a need for the virtual environments to be enriched with intelligence through the incorporation of knowledge. This will allow for complex tasks to be carried out, thus reducing the need for an ad hoc development, while the reusability of such an environment will be increased. On the one hand, augmented reality environments based on semantic knowledge and new user interaction methods can provide the means for putting the human back in the process loop at manufacturing level. On the other hand, virtual reality environments coupled with semantic knowledge can provide methods and tools that integrate 3D geometries with information/knowledge so that engineers can effectively evaluate and manipulate virtual prototypes in an immersive and interactive environment. Within the current dissertation, a generic VR and AR approach is developed based on human task analysis and knowledge mapping methods that are implemented in a Virtual and Augmented Reality Framework. The VR/AR framework is developed to be used with the two-step method approach using advanced interaction techniques. The developed method and framework are validated through a series of real life manufacturing test cases derived from both the automotive and aerospace industrial practices. Finally, an evaluation of the proposed methods and framework is carried out, based on one of the industrial test cases using quantitative metrics, giving insight on to the improvement of the engineering workflow using the proposed work compared with the conventional physical workflow.