Siemens Debuts Capital Load Analyzer Software to Accelerate Certification, Reduce Risk

Mentor, a Siemens business, engineers Capital Load Analyzer software to reduce aerospace electrical compliance and certification risk.

The new Capital compliance offering from Mentor, a Siemens business, features integrated reporting, enabling groups to populate a report automatically using their own template format and then automatically refresh report data using live designs in Capital.

Mentor, a Siemens business, in Wilsonville, Oregon, is introducing its Capital Load Analyzer software, intended to help simplify aircraft electrical design compliance and certification and fufill a growing need, as aircraft become increasingly electrified and automated, requiring greater power and power management.

Modern aircraft systems – from electrical flight control systems to in-flight entertainment and connectivity (IFEC) systems – require more power, have more electrical content, and have higher compliance risk due to increased complexity. Attentions have, as a result, turned to power management. In fact, the market for commercial air cable/harness assemblies is projected at approximately $2.4 billion for 2019 and predicted to reach $3.3 billion in 2024, achieving a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of just over 6.5 percent, according to market research firm Bishop & Associates Inc.

Current methods for verification and analysis rely on fragmented data, and are typically conducted manually using drawings and spreadsheets, after the major electrical design work is complete. Uncovering problems during this late program phase forces costly design iterations and missed critical milestones, such as Customer Acceptance and Type Certification, impacting aircraft revenue recognition.

Capital Load Analyzer electrical systems technology, on the other hand, leverages automation and digital data continuity to facilitate regulatory compliance. To mitigate risks, Capital Load Analyzer draws upon the electrical digital twin, generated from the overall power system and subsystems design, to predict the aircraft’s electrical power demand.

The digital twin, native to the Capital product, is an accurate, up-to-date version of the electrical system as it evolves during the development process. The electrical digital twin provides an automated view of the entire power system, enabling engineers to design for compliance from the very beginning of the project. Analysis and simulation are performed using primary design data instead of using traditional disconnected approaches, officials describe. Rules-based checking and analysis help enable accurate and complete verification for aircraft power system efficiency for each flight phase – even under load shedding for emergency conditions.

“Electrical systems for new aircraft have become much more complex to meet the ever-increasing demands of advanced avionics and expanded cabin amenities,” ARC Advisory Group Senior Analyst Dick Slansky says. “Creating an electrical digital twin using Capital Load Analyzer at all phases of the aircraft’s product life cycle could result in considerable time and costs savings while achieving higher-performance electrification of today’s aircraft.

“We anticipate engineers will be able to mitigate risk in a variety of certification types to meet airline safety requirements,” by leveraging the new Capital Load Analyzer, Slansky adds.

Capital Load Analyzer automatically extracts all electrical load analysis data into the user’s own reporting template for easy and efficient report generation. The technology pulls data directly from the digital twin, enabling the user to see the impact of design changes at any time and any stage of the design process. Armed with the ability to generate real-time reports quickly, users can monitor design tasks and identify potential issues early in the design process to help mitigate program risk. Capital Load Analyzer reports compliance analysis results for each design configuration and variant.

“Capital’s digital thread allows aerospace electrical system designers to deploy an automated design-for-compliance methodology with greater efficiency, improved product quality, and a competitive advantage,” says Martin O’Brien, senior vice president, Integrated Electrical Systems, Siemens Digital Industries Software. He describes the new software tool as a “true electrical collaboration platform that provides the digital continuity required across a broad range of critical tasks for electrical systems compliance and certification.”

Siemens officials plan to extend the Capital product line to include two additional technologies this year: a wire derating product that optimizes the aircraft’s wire sizes to reduce weight while maintaining integrity against hazards, such as overheating, and a 3D signal separation tool designed to evaluate the electrical design against safety-critical design considerations, such as power routing requirements and harness spacing for redundant systems. These products will ship in the second half of 2019.

Siemens staff will demonstrate all these new technologies at the Siemens Detroit Realize Live user conference (June 10 – 13, 2019) and the International Paris Air Show, Le Bourget (June 17-23, 2019) in the Siemens Chalet.

Siemens Digital Industries Software, a business unit of the Siemens Digital Factory Division, provides automation and digitalization software solutions to drive the digital transformation of industry, creating new opportunities for manufacturers to realize innovation, according to company officials.

Siemens AG in Berlin and Munich is active around the globe, focusing on the areas of electrification, automation, and digitalization. Siemens is a supplier of efficient power generation and power transmission solutions and provider of infrastructure solutions as well as automation, drive, and software solutions for industry.

Courtney E. Howard  is editorial director and content strategist at SAE International. Contact her by e-mail at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..