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To obtain a good start configuration in the early design phase, simulation tools are used to create a large number of product designs and to evaluate their performance. To reduce the effort for the model generation, analysis and evaluation, a design environment for thin-walled lightweight structures (DELiS) with the focus on structural mechanics of aircrafts has been developed.

The core of DELiS is a parametric model generator, which creates models of thin-walled lightweight structures for the aircraft preliminary design process. It is based on the common parametric aircraft configuration schema (CPACS), which is an abstract aircraft namespace. DELiS facilitates interfaces to several commercial and non-commercial finite element solvers and sizing tools.

The key principles and the advantages of the DELiS process are illustrated. Also, a convergence study of the finite element model of the wing and the fuselage and the result on the mass after the sizing process are shown. Due to the high flexibility of model generation with different levels of detail and the interface to the exchange database CPACS, DELiS is well suited to study the structural behaviour of different aircraft configurations in a multi-disciplinary design process.

The abstract definition of the object-oriented model allows several dimensions of variability, such as different fidelity levels, for the resulting structural model. Wings and fuselages can be interpreted as finite beam models, to calculate the global dynamic behaviour of a structure, or as finite shell models.

The purpose of this paper is to present a structural design and optimization module for aircraft structures that can be used stand-alone or in a high-fidelity multidisciplinary design optimization (MDO) process. The module is capable of dealing with different design concepts and novel materials properly. The functionality of the module is also demonstrated.

For fast sizing and optimization, linear static finite element (FE) models are used to obtain inner loads of the structural components. The inner loads and the geometry are passed to a software, where a comprehensive set of analytical failure criteria is applied for the design of the structure. In addition to conventional design processes, the objects of stiffened panels like skin and stringer are not optimized separately and discrete layups can be considered for composites. The module is connected to a design environment, where an automated steering of the overall process and the generation of the FE models is implemented.

The exemplary application on a transport aircraft wing shows the functionality of the developed module.

The weight benefit of not optimizing skin and stringer separately was shown. Furthermore, with the applied approach, a fast investigation of different aircraft configurations is possible without constraining too many design variables as it often occurs in other optimization processes. The flexibility of the module allows numerous investigations on influence of design concepts and failure criteria on the mass and layout of aircraft wings.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the current state of mission and vision statements on corporate web sites and to analyze differentiation strategies through the use of online brand personality attributes in order to find if and how the attributes are effectively used to build up a unique corporate identity.

Content analysis is used to investigate similarities and differences between sectors and industries in Switzerland, based on the brand personality scale of Aaker. Also, the paper focuses on the impact of the communication of brand personality elements, in terms of positioning and differentiation, using correspondence analysis.

The claim that companies do present brand personality by frequently communicating respective attributes through mission and vision statements published on their web site are supported. However, top management does not seem to be geared towards industry norms when phrasing the statements, as a considerable similarity in statement content is found across industries. The results show that companies position themselves using their competitors as a frame of reference.

The results may lack generalizability to small and medium‐sized businesses and other industries.

As most companies in the study position themselves using the same attributes and specifically emphasize “competence,” the results include practical implications for the need to develop uniqueness and differentiation by other means.

This paper discovers a gap between the claim that organizations seek uniqueness in their personality attributes and the reality of their involvement in mutual coorientation when defining their identity, forcing them to adapt to each other.