In general, thermal generators have a combination of composites and metals in different assemblies. It is important to note that the material properties and interface stiffnesses change during the assembly process. Added to this change, the complex geometry and assembly procedures result in huge variation in material characterizations. These variabilities triggered a requirement of a unique process for material characterization at both component and assembly levels.
This paper covers the details of a 6-stage DFSS methodology, which involves filling the above-stated gaps by performing mechanical tests at component and sub-assembly levels, followed by series of finite element correlations at various stages of design cycle. This paper emphasizes a DFSS-based probabilistic approach, developed with a built-in validation for evaluating finite element variables to match with assembly tests. This paper also discusses the success of this DFSS-based process in bench marking with two test cases.
