Study on the collaborative design system based on skeleton model for high speed train body

Design of high speed train body is typically a highly iterative activity involving multi-discipline knowledge and a large group of designers which increases the design difficulty and extend the design cycle. Although the infrastructure of PDM or PLM system have built a collaborative environment for engineers, a specific design system based on skeleton modeling is needed in order to provide a real collaborative platform in 3D modeling and structure design for multi disciplinary groups. The multi-level skeleton model is built based on the product topological function and their physical structure, which captures the important data and knowledge of design, in the paper. Furthermore, the skeleton-based model can ensure the consistency of data and transferring efficiency in different design stages between designers. Therefore, designers in multi-disciplinary groups can share and reuse not only the information but also modeling experiences and enterprise's best practices, so that the design tasks are accomplished collaboratively and the time-to-market is shorten greatly. Finally, take a certain train body model as an example to verify the validity of the proposed system.