Integrating engineering design and analysis using a STEP/EXPRESS approach

Given the present gap between CAD and CAE, designers are often hindered in their efforts to explore design alternatives that ensure new product vitality, This paper describes the STEP/EXPRESS based architecture - a design-analysis strategy that views CAD-CAE (FEA) integration as an information-intensive mapping between design models and analysis models. This paper illustrates the implementation of the above-mentioned approach for integrating CAD-CAE (FEA). It is based on an in-depth analysis of the structure, manufacturing technology, and the final structural and mechanical properties of a railway wheel.