The relative sizes of the Computer-Aided Technologies (Mechanical CAD, Mechanical CAE, CAM) and PLM software sectors in the global aerospace market. The total is worth approximately $US 1.7 billion annually. Surprisingly, MCAE is bigger than MCAD, showing the importance of engineering analysis and simulation in the Aerospace sector.

Historically, the MCAD market in Aerospace was much larger than MCAE, but the MCAD market is flattening out while MCAE continues to accelerate. The need for virtual and remote working is another factor that is driving both MCAE and MCAD.

Digital Twin

Digital Twins match digital models to physical entities that can range from a single component to an entire aircraft. This is particularly useful when simulating aerodynamic performance using CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) to improve the surface flow, and when using FEA (Finite Element Analysis) to stress-test candidate designs.

Wind tunnels and fatigue testing rigs will still be used (as they have been in the past) but Digital Twins make it possible to perform many more design iterations and stress tests prior to building and testing prototypes; they can also be used to model the final, flying aircraft and collect real-time sensor data for analysis, to predict potential failures and the steps to avoid them. Simulation, CFD and analysis are all CAE software capabilities, and the figure shows its relative importance in aerospace compared to CAD, CAM, and PLM.

With the Digital Twin approach, maintenance or upgrades can be planned and tested in detail prior to performing the work and all the correct parts can be obtained in advance – this is particularly important in AOG (Aircraft on Ground) situations when an aircraft is stranded, and it is essential that the correct replacement parts are urgently delivered. The Digital Twin approach is becoming very important in the post-pandemic era as it enables performance-informed decision-making throughout the entire lifecycle of a product or process.