ANSYS Users’ Group Conference, University of Maryland College Park MD, October 2 2001 CMS Group, Naval Research Laboratory Projects//femML/femMLPaper12 1 FemML for Data Exchange between FEA Codes CMS Group* *Composite Materials and Structures Group, Code 6304 J. Michopoulos, P. Mast, T. Chwastyk, L. Gause, R. Badaliance, U.S. Naval Research Laboratory Washington DC, 20375 johnM@cms.nrl.navy.mil Abstract The finite element modeling Markup Language (femML) effort is addressing the problems of data interpretation and application interoperability in the Fninite Element Modeling domain. This is achieved through the development of an extensible markup language (XML) for finite element model data that will permit the storage, transmission, and processing of finite element modeling data distributed via the World Wide Web and related infrastructure technologies. The focus of this work was to utilize the XML's power of semantic encapsulation along with the existing and continuously improving associated technology to develop a dialect for exchanging FEM data across various codes with heterogeneous input format syntactic specifications. The main aspects of a finite element definition have been used as archetypes for defining the XML element taxonomy definitions. Namely, the geometry, the material, and the loading aspects of a structural component specification are used to define the first level elements of the associated Document Type Definition (DTD). The element list has been amended with a behavior element specification that represents the solution data to be exchanged or visualized. Utilization of the MatML standard for material property data exchange is demonstrated. Various tools have been developed to demonstrate associated concepts along with the ANSYS set of tools. 1. Introduction 1.1 General problems The main problems associated with all computationally assisted data exchange, interchange and integration activities can be approached from multiple points of view depending on the needs at hand. However, there is a global point of view that is common to all industries in need of data exchange. In the engineering industries it unfolds as a need for integration of FEM models encoded in multiple data formats from multiple data sources, with current end-user applications and future data exchange systems between applications. However, data interpretation (semantics) varies from data source to data source and therefore introduces semantic correctness uncertainty that destroys robustness of interoperability between applications and data receptacles in general. The CMS group at the NRL experienced this issue from a very close distance when the time came to implement the Data Driven Design Workbench (D 3 W) used as a virtual wind tunnel environment for design of composite structures and qualification and certification of composite materials systems [1]. Figure 1 shows the block diagram of D 3 W's main components and their relationship in terms of data flow paths. This diagram is intended to represent its abstract architecture in order to expose the major pathways (non-blue lines) of structured data with FEM characteristics.