Date published: 01.09.08 - not release date

MADYMO reaches for the skies

Move into aviation safety by automotive safety specialist TASS

MADYMO, the leading occupant safety design software in the automotive sector, has entered the aviation market. MADYMO, which is used in the design and development of most new cars, is taking center stage at a short series of workshops organised by the USA Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to introduce aviation professionals to the benefits and practicalities of using simulation software for virtual testing and virtual certification. An introductory workshop, held in Oklahoma at the end of July, attracted over 40 engineers from some of the world’s leading aviation manufacturers and suppliers. A second seminar will take place at the Los Angeles Aircraft Certification Office in Long Beach, California on 21 September 2007.

MADYMO sets the standard in the automotive industry for virtual crash testing. The speed and accuracy of MADYMO simulations enables car manufacturers and their suppliers to minimise the number of expensive full-scale physical crash-lab tests required in the development of new cars and safety equipment. By enabling more designs and configurations to be assessed within the tight time constraints of automotive development cycles, the use of MADYMO contributes directly to cost reductions at its customers and improvements in car safety generally.

In aviation, certification for passenger seat and harness design is currently based largely on physical testing. The sled tests and dummies involved are similar to those used in the automotive sector, however, and MADYMO has been readily adapted to provide a powerful simulation environment for virtual seat and harness models.

The FAA is committed to encouraging the aviation industry to invest in modeling and simulation techniques, and MADYMO has been named as one of only three software companies whose simulations are endorsed by the FAA. The workshop series has been developed to explain the use of a new FAA-sponsored MADYMO graphical interface module that has been specifically structured to model aviation seats. This new graphical interface module allows non-specialists to easily modify a generic seat model to reflect actual seat design. Workshop attendees have all been provided with a working copy of MADYMO, complete with technical support, and encouraged to work through tutorial exercises between the two workshop dates.

“We are committed to exploring new applications for MADYMO’s advanced simulation technology, and aviation safety was a natural fit,” explains Roy Bours, MADYMO product manager. “Not only will virtual testing save time and money compared with traditional physical tests, it will also encourage the simulation of larger, more complex scenarios that would be impossible to reproduce in the lab. We are delighted to be working with the FAA to help spread the uptake of virtual safety testing in aviation research and development.”


MADYMO is developed by TASS. Building on over 30 years of crash test and vehicle safety experience, TASS offers a wide range of software, engineering and test solutions to complex safety development issues.

The TASS mission is “To enhance transport safety by providing customer-focused solutions and innovative engineering tools to industry.” TASS delivers its solutions through a worldwide network of offices and laboratories, allowing it to provide global solutions at a specialist local level. www.tass-safe.com

For further info please contact:

Roy Bours
TASS
+31 88 8277 040
roy.bours@tass-safe.com

Ben Bush or Lindsay Back
The Crocodile
+44 20 7749 4400
ben.bush@thecroc.com/lindsay.back@thecroc.com