May 19 – 20, 2026 | Frankfurt/Hanau, Germany

 Tuesday, May 19, 2026 

The times given here refer to CEST = UTC+2h

Optimization & Robustness: Challenges of Multidisciplinary Design Optimization

Chair: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Axel Schumacher - University of Wuppertal
Room: Brüder Grimm Saal

09:00

Welcome and Introduction

Dr.-Ing. Dirk Ulrich - carhs.training gmbh

09:30

Combining traditional MDO methods with parametric and surrogate models speeds up optimisation processes, while considering the impact of manufacturing

Dr.-Ing. Hendrik Schafstall - Detroit Engineered Products

10:00

Practical Advances in Multidisciplinary Optimization: Reducing Computational Effort and Improving Solution Quality

Dr.-Ing. Jana Hahlweg - Dr. Ing. h. c. F. Porsche AG

10:30

Including NVH Requirements in MDOs: Challenges and Strategies

Dr. André Backes - TECOSIM GmbH

11:00

Coffee Break

11:30

From Structure to Flow: A Multidisciplinary and Optimization Driven Workflow Redefining What’s Possible for Cast Components and Runner Systems

Sanjay Girish, Thomas Spoida - Bionic Mesh Design GmbH

12:00

Kube KAB3L – HV-Cables as an Interdisciplinary Modeling Approach

Vitali Gerbershagen, Cedric Guarino - Kube GmbH Ingenieurbüro

12:30

AI-powered Engineering: Applying Graph Databases to get a wide context for Multidisciplinary Design Optimization

Christopher Woll - GNS Systems GmbH

13:00

Lunch Break

Material Modeling - Focus Structural Analysis: Advanced Modelling of Material Damage and Failure

Chair: Mark Gevers - TECOSIM GmbH
Room: Brüder Grimm Saal

14:00

Material simulation: What’s missing? The Volkswagen brand perspective

Dr.-Ing. Tony Porsch - Volkswagen AG

14:55

User-Defined Plasticity and Fracture Model for Mesh-Adapted Automotive Structural Analysis

Dr.-Ing. Chongyang Zeng, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Xiangfan Fang - University of Siegen

14:30

Hardware Validation of a Micromechanics-Based Stress State Dependent Failure Model for Ductile Steel and Aluminium Materials in ABAQUS, LS-DYNA and PAM-CRASH

Dr.-Ing. Sirus Rafiee - Waldaschaff Automotive GmbH

15:20

Advanced Modelling of Material Damage and Failure using OpenRadioss and Radioss

Marian Bulla - Altair Engineering GmbH; Prof. Dr.-Ing. habil. Stefan Kolling - TH Mittelhessen University of Applied Sciences; Paul Du Bois - Hermes Engineering NV

15:45

Coffee Break

16:15

Interactions between Loading Path and Plastic Flow in Ductile Damage and Failure Modeling

Daniel Muñoz Valentin, Alberto Regidor, Javier Ferrer Revenga, Borja Garcia - newgentechs

16:40

Material Modeling - Focus Structural Analysis: Advanced Modelling of Material Damage and Failure

Stefan Wacker - DYNAmore Gesellschaft für FEM Ingenieurdienstleistungen mbH et al.

17:05

Experimental Calibration and Validation of Radioss Adhesive Laws for Automotive Structural Adhesives

Dr. Daniel Campos Murcia - Applus+ DatapointLabs; Brian Croop - DatapointLabs

Full Vehicle Simulation: Virtual Verification and Certification

Chair: Bart Peeters Weem - BMW AG
Room: Conference Room 1 – 4

09:30

Requirements for CAE model and Process for Virtual Testing based Vehicle Safety Assessment

Dr.-Ing. Andre Eggers - BASt - German Federal Highway and Transport Research Institute

10:00

New generation of crash-tolerant structure - FLEXCRASH

Christian Kurzböck - VIRTUAL VEHICLE Research GmbH

10:30

Driving Simulators as a Cornerstone of Virtual Validation

Gabriele Ferrarotti - VI-grade - HBK

11:00

Coffee Break

11:30

Virtual NCAP Integration in Full Vehicle Simulation Workflows

Dr.-Ing. Sami Bilgic Istoc - IPG Automotive GmbH

12:00

Thoughts on Virtual Homologation of Crashworthiness: A Software Vendor’s View

Prof. Dr.-Ing. André Haufe - DYNAmore, part of Synopsys

12:30

Animator4-based Virtual Testing and Assessment tool for comprehensive NCAP Safety evaluation

Suba Siva Chandran Kalimuthu - GNS mbH

13:00

Lunch Break

Durability / Fatigue: Fatigue Simulation HV-batteries (Vibration Fatigue)

Chair: Dr.-Ing. Matthias Weinert - Ford-Werke GmbH
Room: Conference Room 1 – 4

14:00

Industrial Requirements; Speaker tba

14:30

Advanced Mechanical Simulation of Sheet Molding Compounds: Accounting for Process-Induced Fiber Orientation

Dr. Hannes Grimm-Strele - Fraunhofer-Institut für Techno- und Wirtschaftsmathematik ITWM

15:00

Improving HV Battery Structural Robustness: Coupling Operational Loads with Swelling-Induced Stresses

Lucas Crombet, Dr. Simon Erker - AVL List GmbH

15:30

Coffee Break

16:00

Presentation Title tba

Dr. rer. nat. Michael Hack - Siemens Industry Software GmbH

16:30

Durability of Battery Housings and Body Structures Considering Vibrations and Multiple Joint Characteristics

Helmut Dannbauer - Engineering Center Steyr GmbH & Co KG

 

 Wednesday, May 20, 2026 

CAE Process & QA: Automated CAE Model Quality Checks for Certification Readiness

Chair: Dr.-Ing. Dirk Rensink - SEGULA Technologies Germany
Room: Conference Room 1 – 4

08:30

CAE process for Head Impact simulation and improved structural design in HMI systems

Sebastian Schulze - AUO Mobility Solutions Germany GmbH

09:00

Causality Analysis: Checking where it really matters

Dr. Andreas Kuhn - Andata Entwicklungstechnologie GmbH et al.

09:30

Detecting Unknown and Unwanted Crash Behaviors: A Database-Driven Approach to Simulation Quality Assurance

Dominik Borsotto - SIDACT GmbH et al.

10:00

Coffee Break

10:30

Achieving Model Quality and Certification Readiness with the Oasys LS-DYNA Environment

Dr. Galal Mohamed, Shuang Gao - Arup

11:00

Customizable Model Quality Checks for Crash-Simulations with LS-DYNA

Max Hübner - DYNAmore GmbH

11:30

The ANSA Checks Machine: A User Focused Framework for Multi Disciplinary/Solver Model Integrity

Livia Emmanouela Baksiova - BETA CAE Systems S.A.

Occupant Safety: Meta Models for Occupant Injury Prediction

Chair: Stefan Kirschbichler - VIRTUAL VEHICLE Research GmbH
Room: Brüder Grimm Saal

08:30

Software Environment for ML - Meta Models supporting Occupant Safety Simulation

Dr. Lars Aschenbrenner, Michael Otto - Volkswagen AG

09:00

Predicting Occupant Injury Risk from Time‑History Meta‑Models

Patrick Obernosterer - Technische Universität Graz

09:25

Predictive and Generative Artificial Intelligence Empowering Occupant Safety and Injury Prediction

Prof. Dr. Francisco Chinesta - Arts et Métiers Institute of Technology - ENSAM

09:50

Chasing Safer Outcomes: Exploring Metamodel Capabilities for Occupant Injury Prediction in Crash Analysis

Ionut Mihnea, Dana Ionia Rat - ARRK Research & Development S.R.L.

10:15

Coffee Break

10:45

Virtual Reconstruction of Physical Crash Tests Using a Software Platform for Meta-Modeling and Design Optimization

Dr. Nicholas White - Elemance, LLC et al.

11:10

Unifying Physical Test and Simulation Data: ASAM‑ODS Pipelines for AI‑Driven Occupant Injury Prediction

Stefan Romainczyk - Peak Solution GmbH

11:35

Interpretable Modal‑Space‑Based Surrogate Models for Occupant Injury Prediction

Dr. Masahiro Okamura - JSOL Corporation

12:00

Lunch Break

AI, ML, Big Data: How can AI Actually Help Designing a Vehicle?

Chair: Dr.-Ing. Axel Hänschke - CPS Pekka Stuckert Consulting Unternehmensberatung
Room: Brüder Grimm Saal

13:00

Industrial Requirements AI Supported Vehicle Design

Thorsten Pohl - Stellantis; Dr.-Ing. Dirk Rensink - SEGULA Technologies Germany

13:30

AI-based Change Description and Results Exploration for Vehicle Development

Dr. Daniela Steffes-lai, Prof. Dr. Jochen Garcke - Fraunhofer-Institut für Algorithmen und Wissenschaftliches Rechnen SCAI

13:55

AI meets CAE - How Structures can be Optimized in Automated Ways

Tomoya Hayashi - Nature Architects, Inc.; Jan Ophey - FEV Vehicle GmbH

14:20

Agentic AI for DtM: Automated Formability and Stamping Analysis

Tilman Steininger - Synera GmbH

14:45

Coffee Break

15:15

Integrating Generative AI into CAE Workflows with Simulation Data Management

Marko Thiele - SCALE GmbH et al.

15:40

Machine Learning Supported Crashworthiness Designs

Dr. Stefan Müller - SIDACT GmbH et al.

16:05

Autonomous Vehicle Design: Context, Intelligence, Action

Dr.-Ing. Moritz Frenzel - Altair Engineering GmbH

16:30

Summary and Farewell

Rainer Hoffmann - carhs gmbh

 

 

Program subject to change.