Methodologies for coupling simulation models and codes in mechatronic system analysis and design

The design and analysis process of mechatronic systems requires a wide rang e of different engineering methods and tools. The demands on simulation mod el descriptions and solver functionalities are rising due to the increase o f system complexity. A development process can only be carried out in an ef fective way, if all needed models, methods and codes are linked together to an integrated CAE(1)-environment. In the future, the variety of interfaces and types, from a simple model import/export up to a complex co-simulation , will be further extended by new concepts to combine models and codes. A c lassification of coupling strategies can help to estimate the effects on si mulation performance, functionality and accuracy which is important for the decision of an optimal interface type in case of a specific task.