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CASE STUDY: SRAM

2023-04-19T06:46:29+00:00

Applying software rather than developing it decreases testing analysis time by about 50 percent

SRAM uses Simcenter Testlab to gain a flexible end-to-end solution for operational strength testing

Supporting the power of bicycles

Bicycle component manufacturer, SRAM Deutschland GmbH (SRAM), has been in business for over 30 years. Starting out with six employees in one office, it has become one of the largest bicycle component manufacturers in the world. SRAM has 16 worksites on six continents and over 5,000 employees with its headquarters in Chicago, Illinois and Schweinfurt, Germany.

The SRAM Development and Training Center in Schweinfurt is recognized as its mountain bike hotspot and one of the largest SRAM sites in Europe. It specializes in drivetrain mtb and road and much more . This site designs and tests mountain bike and road drivetrain innovations. Accordingly, the engineers in Schweinfurt were responsible for developing the first precision ball bearing, ball bearing hub, the freewheel and now the SRAM Eagle™ and SRAM 1x™ drivetrain, which are redefining the potential of mountain bike drivetrains.

SRAM is also involved in humanitarian work, such as the SRAM Cycling Fund, which promotes bike riding as an environmentally friendly and healthy mobility solution. H. Moritz Rügamer, test engineer at SRAM, Schweinfurt, states, “We believe in the power of bicycles and want to inspire people to ride.”

We like to work with various open-source code, which has mostly public libraries. I haven’t found a comparable library that can match the scale Simcenter offers.
H. Moritz Rügamer
Test Engineer
SRAM

Developing its own testing tool led to bottlenecks

SRAM must constantly meet new requirements and further develop processes. The company needed to optimize its testing process for efficacy and efficiency. Therefore, SRAM was searching for a flexible and versatile end-to-end solution so it had everything in one place.

Previously, SRAM had developed their own tool for testing and analyzing the durability of their bike components. Rügamer explains, “You don’t always have the time to write these programs yourself. Further, you should use the time you do have for developing the process or processes rather than for developing the tool.” SRAM needed a solution to increase flexibility, stability and reduce development time. This led the team to work with Dipolo, a Siemens Digital Industries Software solution partner, to optimize its testing process.

Dipolo worked with SRAM to implement Simcenter™ Testlab™ software in the field of fatigue strength, particularly for cassettes. The cassettes are the sprocket group on the rear wheel. SRAM has multiple design variants that differentiate in weight and performance. Simcenter Testlab is part of the Siemens Xcelerator business platform of software, hardware and services. The company was aiming to reduce the test time without negatively affecting the quality of the results. Dipolo worked to understand SRAM’s needs and goals for operational strength testing and presented the benefits of implementing Simcenter Testlab. SRAM’s goal was to make sure its products were safe for road and mountain bike and electric mountain bike applications.

Extrapolating relevant data

SRAM must make sure testing requirements meet customer requirements. As the market needs changed, SRAM needed to adjust to the new use cases that products were exposed to. One major trend in 2021 was the e-bike compatibility. SRAM wanted to make sure that customers were safe and felt safe when riding. With Simcenter Testlab, SRAM was able to perform faster and more complex calculations with data directly from the field.

With Simcenter Testlab, SRAM was able to work with new measurement setups and evaluation areas. “What Simcenter Testlab offers here is enormous. We like to work with various open-source code, which has mostly public libraries. I haven’t found a comparable library that can match the scale Simcenter offers.” Further, the ease of generating templates in Simcenter Testlab enabled the SRAM team to easily evaluate data. “You can press a few buttons and get a result,” explains Rügamer.

Overall, SRAM was able to extrapolate the relevant data from the field in a targeted manner, which streamlined the process. The work became easier and was almost completed in real time because the computing time in Simcenter Testlab is relatively short.

Additionally, Dipolo experts have played a key role in getting the SRAM team up to speed on the software. “I was happy with the scope of the training and we work well together,” says Rügamer. “We could also approach the head of Dipolo’s training afterward if we had any issues. He was able to answer the questions well and offer effective solutions.”

I was always fascinated by how well Simcenter could handle large amounts of data.
H. Moritz Rügamer
Test Engineer
SRAM

Saving time in the testing process

Implementing Simcenter Testlab enabled the SRAM team to save a significant amount of time because they could focus on applying the software rather than developing it This enabled them to focus on interpreting the data versus processing results. They found the software to be faster, more flexible and stable than their prior solution. As a result, by using Simcenter Testlab the computing time for the analysis has decreased by about 50 percent compared to the in-house developed solution The team also appreciated the efficiency of the software: “I was always fascinated by how well Simcenter could handle large amounts of data,” says Rügamer.

The Siemens solution offers many opportunities and it is valuable for us to share topics across our locations and internally, to expand knowledge.
H. Moritz Rügamer
Test Engineer
SRAM

The future of Simcenter at SRAM

The SRAM Schweinfurt team is considering how to implement Simcenter Testlab in the future. “Simcenter Testlab has brought us very far, very quickly,” Rügamer says. “The Siemens solution offers many opportunities and it is valuable for us to share topics across our locations and internally to expand knowledge.” The SRAM team sees potential for other product groups in the company to benefit from using the software. The company’s innovative strength is a great asset and is setting it up for continued growth.

Simcenter Testlab has brought us very far, very quickly.

H. Moritz Rügamer
Test Engineer
SRAM

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Improving the e-Drive NVH performance of your electric vehicle with a digital twin

2022-01-21T08:41:27+00:00

Manufacturers want to reduce the risk of encountering e-drive NVH issues late in the design process. But, optimizing e-drive NVH to create a sound that fits your brand image, is challenging. Where to start? Let’s start here.

Electric vehicle sales are booming

The electric vehicle revolution is well underway. According to BloombergNEF’s recent report, there are currently around 12 million passenger electric vehicles and around one million commercial electric vehicles on the road globally. And this is expected to surge. The growth of passenger electric vehicles is projected to rise from 3.1 million in 2020 to 14 million in 2025.

But as demand grows, and many markets move towards ending the sale of combustion engine vehicles, expectations are increasing too.

What’s that noise?

As you might know, at Simcenter, we adopt a people-centric approach to the NVH performance engineering of electric cars. When engineering the electric drive, a common complaint is the high-frequency tonal noise of the electric motor and gearbox.

To satisfy their customers, manufacturers need to address these E-Drive NVH issues to give the best results in terms of performance, customer comfort, and satisfaction.

Simple, right?

Not really, given the complexity of the motors and the number of different models that are produced every year. NVH performance analysis has often been left to the end of vehicle development. This makes it difficult to make significant design changes to improve the sounds generated. That’s understandable, given that you need a completed motor to evaluate its NVH performance. But that’s not what customers want, they just want their cars to sound better.

E-Drive NVH hybrid modeling – simulations and testing in perfect harmony

Simulation for success

This is why virtual simulations are so valuable in modern vehicle development. It is exactly the kind of challenge that Simcenter was designed to overcome. Alessandro Lepore, Business Development Manager for Simcenter Engineering Services Solutions recently ran a webinar to show how Simcenter can front-load NVH evaluation in the development cycle to allow manufacturers to build a better product whilst keeping within their cost and time budgets.

Watch the on-demand webinar
and see how Simcenter is a game-changer in E-Drive NVH performance

In the webinar, Alessandro looks at how carrying out e-drive NVH analysis in the earliest stages will avoid issues later. He walks through various customer case studies, including:

Vehicle reverse engineering for competitor e-motor benchmarking
Inverter switching noise optimization
E-drive multi-attribute balancing

He also covers the detailed design stages and how 3D simulation analyzes the complete system from electric currents to radiated noise, and integrating electromagnetic, structural, transmission multi-body, and acoustics analysis. This includes examples from Valeo and Karma Automotive where the Simcenter portfolio enabled enhanced and streamlined NVH performance evaluation in the development process to give them the best possible results.

Model the complexity of electric motor transmissions by streamlining all types of analyses into a single simulation environment for a better assessment of E-motor transmission performance.

Virtual prototype assembly tool helps predicting e-drive NVH performance

But, as Alessandro points out, simulation on its own isn’t everything. Hybrid modeling, combining test and simulation, delivers the most accuracy. He explains how the Virtual Prototype Assembly tool within Simcenter Testlab facilitates this and allows engineers to develop optimal components. The value of the Virtual Prototype Assembly tool? In a nutshell, it enables to accurately and rapidly predict the NVH performance of any system. It allows collaboration between different areas of the business. Even non-NVH experts can use it to accurately predict the final product NVH performance at any development stage. For more information, read this blog: Master the vehicle NVH performance with a virtual prototype.

System NVH performance prediction enables to accurately and rapidly predict the NVH performance of any system.