{"id":79476,"date":"2025-10-20T20:00:17","date_gmt":"2025-10-21T03:00:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.autodesk.com\/products\/fusion-360\/blog\/?p=79476"},"modified":"2025-10-23T02:23:46","modified_gmt":"2025-10-23T09:23:46","slug":"isuzu-central-research-laboratory-generative-design","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.autodesk.com\/products\/fusion-360\/blog\/isuzu-central-research-laboratory-generative-design\/","title":{"rendered":"ISUZU Central Research Laboratory Tackles Diesel Engine Quietness with Generative Design"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

ISUZU Central Research Institute is advancing the use of generative design in Autodesk Fusion to optimize diesel engine gear structures, aiming to reduce gear rattle noise while improving fuel efficiency<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s anticipated that the world\u2019s population will reach 9.7 billion by 2050, with two-thirds living in urban areas. As cities expand, maintaining a comfortable urban environment will depend on safe, secure, and sustainable urban development\u2014driven by environmental stewardship, infrastructure enhancements, and stricter regulations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Engineer<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In response to this impending future, ISUZU Central Research Laboratory<\/a> conducts advanced research on commercial vehicles and diesel engine technologies, laying the groundwork for future ISUZU Motors products. In December 2024, the laboratory published a paper titled \u201cGear Structure Optimization of Diesel Engines Using Generative Design,\u201d introducing a revolutionary solution to the gear rattle noise (the characteristic \u201cteeth clattering\u201d sound that occurs during torque fluctuations and reversal) generated by the engine of the \u201cELF\u201d light truck<\/a>. Their approach involves developing a new, significantly lighter gear.<\/p>\n\n\n

Meeting expanding requirements with design automation<\/h2>\n\n\n

\u201cAutomobiles have countless components, and now there are more factors to consider, such as using recycled materials to achieve a circular economy,\u201d explains Seiya Yamagishi, Chief Researcher, ISUZU Central Research Laboratory. \u201cResponding to various social demands and regulations requires tools that enable extensive exploration\u2014we strive to keep pace through design automation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the Elf engine, a series of gears transmit power from the crankshaft to the camshaft. Among these is a scissor gear\u2014two overlapping gears connected via springs\u2014which reduces rattle noise by sandwiching the mating gear. However, this solution also increases the number of parts and assembly labor, driving up manufacturing costs (due to the increased number of parts and installation time) and causing challenges such as greater friction, declining fuel efficiency, and wear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"ISUZU
The gear Prototype (right) that achieved a 43% weight reduction through generative design, next to the conventional gear component (left).<\/em><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Seeking to eliminate these trade-offs and avoid reduced fuel efficiency, the team used simulations and found that reducing the gear\u2019s weight was a potential solution. \u201cHowever, to match the effectiveness of the scissor gear, we needed to achieve a 30% to 40% weight reduction,\u201d Yamagishi notes. \u201cWe had already tried lightweighting gears by drilling holes, so we worried there wasn\u2019t much material left to remove.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n

Leveraging generative design in Autodesk Fusion<\/h2>\n\n\n

Generative design in Autodesk Fusion uses AI and cloud computing to rapidly generate diverse design ideas based on key parameters\u2014materials, manufacturing methods, and performance needs\u2014offering creative solutions that human designers might never imagine. \u201cThere weren\u2019t existing examples of applying generative design to gears, but after consulting Autodesk, we learned that it was feasible by specifying surface loads,\u201d Yamagishi recalls. After two months of design refinement, the selected prototype achieved an outstanding 43% reduction in weight.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"The
The analysis results screen in Fusion after running generative design.<\/em><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe were able to create shapes suitable for machining. Since the gear isn\u2019t visible from outside, aesthetics weren\u2019t a priority, which allowed us to accelerate prototyping,\u201d he continues. \u201cBy March 2022, engine firing clearance hadn\u2019t been granted yet, so initial evaluation relied on motoring tests without fuel combustion.<\/p>\n\n\n

Results and next steps<\/h2>\n\n\n

Once post-test verification confirmed no issues, the design underwent further review and moved into actual operation in November of the same year. \u201cReplacing two gears with prototypes yielded the same level of noise reduction as scissor gears, plus a 0.5% improvement in fuel consumption,\u201d Yamagishi reports.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Autodesk
Fusion screen for setting constraint and load conditions.<\/em><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe conducted an accelerated study, but we were able to proceed in a very short time from the examination to the actual creation of a shape. Considering manufacturability at the prototype stage was also a major advantage,\u201d says Yamagishi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mr. Yamagishi is preparing for mass production in the future. “Commercial vehicles are used for quite a long time, and they require large-scale tests to keep the engine running, so we would like to include them in such endurance tests. Gears that are only on the surface are easy to consider, but we are also starting to consider more complex shapes.”<\/p>\n\n\n

A new mindset for the next generation of designers<\/h2>\n\n\n

These new technologies are also sparking interest among younger designers. Reflecting on his own experience, Yamagishi notes, \u201cWhen I was at university and later in the lab, the idea was that it was enough to master one field deeply. You could build a career relying solely on specialized expertise.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNow, with AI tools\u2014especially generative AI like ChatGPT\u2014information is instantly accessible. The barrier to acquiring knowledge has dropped dramatically. But because of that, it\u2019s no longer enough to focus on just one area. Young designers today need to build a broader base of knowledge. Generative design, in particular, requires a very different mindset\u2014it\u2019s not about drawing traditional blueprints, but more about thinking in terms of simulation. The most important step is to start experimenting and learning through hands-on use.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

See how ISUZU Central Research Institute is advancing the use of generative design in Autodesk Fusion to optimize diesel engine gear structures.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5301,"featured_media":79491,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[478,479],"tags":[392,474,179,143,394],"coauthors":[837],"class_list":["post-79476","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-case-studies","category-product-design-engineering","tag-3d-modeling","tag-ai","tag-generative-design","tag-manufacturing","tag-simulation-extension","dhig-theme--light"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nHow ISUZU Central Research Laboratory Uses Generative Design - Fusion Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"ISUZU Central Research Institute is advancing the use of generative design in Autodesk Fusion 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