A collaborative platform for integrating and optimising Computational Fluid Dynamics analysis requests

A Virtual Integration Platform (VIP) is described which provides support for the integration of Computer-Aided Design (CAD) and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) analysis tools into an environment that supports the use of these tools in a distributed collaborative manner. The VIP has evolved through previous EU research conducted within the VRShips-ROPAX 2000 (VRShips) project and the current version discussed here was developed predominantly within the VIRTUE project but also within the SAFEDOR project. The VIP is described with respect to the support it provides to designers and analysts in coordinating and optimising CFD analysis requests. Two case studies are provided that illustrate the application of the VIP within HSVA: the use of a panel code for the evaluation of geometry variations in order to improve propeller efficiency; and, the use of a dedicated maritime RANS code (FreSCo) to improve the wake distribution for the VIRTUE tanker. A discussion is included detailing the background, application and results from the use of the VIP within these two case studies as well as how the platform was of benefit during the development and a consideration of how it can benefit HSVA in the future

Improving the Performance of Construction by the Acquisition, Organization and Use of Knowledge: A Theory and Method for Cognitive Engineering, Construction and Lifecycle Management

Civil Engineering and Geoscience

Frameworks and technologies for exchanging and sharing product life cycle knowledge

Frameworks and technologies for exchanging and sharing product life cycle knowledge (PLK) are discussed. A life cycle-centric knowledge management approach with stakeholders-in-the-loop allows for a life-long evaluation of the instantaneous performance and the consequential decision making about the rest of the product's useful life. The solutions towards the interdependence between the of Product Life cycle Management (PLM) and PLK should include semantic deepening of the descriptions of product life cycle knowledge, allowing for generic capturing, sharing and exchanging of knowledge. Studies are devoted towards the study of product reconfiguration that offers new strategies for keeping up the product functions and performance levels. The industry has recognized that the potential of PLM is great, but they should be exploited in a fit-for-industry-purpose manner

Modelling the life-cycle of sustainable, living buildings

Credit-reductions by banks, as a consequence of the global monetary crisis, will hit the construction industry for many years to come. There are however still financing opportunities for building projects that are perceived as less risky. Buildings that are not only sustainable, but also flexible and adaptive, are becoming attractive alternatives for traditional buildings. Many innovative concepts are combined in a new form of contracting, called the Living Building Concept. In this concept, buildings are continuously adapted to changing user and/or client needs in the form of Product/Service combinations. In this paper we will zoom in on the implications for building information modelling and construction ICT. Object based, parametric design technologies become more important than ever before. The new business concepts require a life-cycle modelling approach in which individual components and materials play a central role. Buildings are considered as temporary configurations of these components and materials. The functional life of buildings, which strives for higher and sustainable end-user value, becomes detached from the technical life of building components and materials, offering new opportunities for reuse, remanufacturing and recycling.Design and ConstructionCivil Engineering and Geoscience