The Ford Motor Company has used simulation software to improve vehicle safety performance in its latest Fiesta range. The finite-element solver, Radioss, part of the HyperWorks simulation suite from Altair Engineering, is being used by Ford's engineering staff.
Radioss is used extensively throughout Ford's vehicle development process, including crash simulations involved in vehicle safety assessment, and was the obvious solver of choice when developing the latest Fiesta model, which launched in Europe during 2008. The highly scalable and repeatable nature of the solver, combined with Ford UK's state-of-the-art engineering methods and development processes, successfully achieved an outstanding five star crash performance when rated by EuroNCAP.
'I am pleased to see Ford Motor Company taking advantage of HyperWorks' solver solutions. Making Radioss an integral part of their engineering design process has helped to ensure that all Ford vehicles are extremely safe for both vehicle occupants and pedestrians,' said Maurice Linscott, regional director at Altair UK.
