Case Study: Caterpillar achieves faster, more accurate propeller design and single-click analysis with CAESES

Caterpillar - Customer Case Study

Caterpillar Propulsion engaged CAESES to modernize its propeller blade design process, replacing manual Excel profiles and disconnected tools with a parametric 3D design workbench. The challenge was to integrate meshing and simulation tools while delivering flexible, editable blade and profile definitions so engineers could rapidly remodel existing blades and explore new designs.

CAESES was implemented to convert Excel profile definitions into parametric features, model complex geometry like the hub fillet, and link CAESES to OpenFOAM, ANSYS and PROCAL for automated CFD/FEM/BEM analysis. The integrated workflow lets Caterpillar generate new 3D blades by changing parameter curves and run all key performance and stress calculations with a single click, resulting in about a 15% speed up of administrative design tasks, improved geometric accuracy, and on-the-fly design evaluation.

Caterpillar

Olof Klerebrant Klasson

Engineer Hydrodynamics