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NASA software boasts 20 percent lighter structures in 20 percent of the time

Collier Research Corporation is demonstrating HyperSizer, a key software program used to lightweight the heat shield of NASA's Orion Multi-purpose Crew Vehicle, at the 2014 Composites and Advanced Materials Expo (CAMX) (previously SAMPE) this week (Oct. 13-16) at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, FL.

NASA's Orion team used information gathered from HyperSizer analyses to inform discussions that led to a 23 percent reduction of the final weight of the baseline design, which means hundreds of pounds of unnecessary weight were eliminated.

(Left): The Orion Test Vehicle at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. The circular heat shield is visible at the very base of the vehicle [Image courtesy of NASA]. (Center): Collier Research Corp.'s, James Ainsworth, who will present at CAMX, inspects a curved orthogrid shield drop-test specimen. (Right) Close-up (upper left) shows detail of the titanium orthogrid that makes up the skin of the final NESC heat shield design (lower right).

 

 

 

 

The un-crewed test flight of the vehicle, Exploration Flight Test-1, is currently slated for December 2014. The final HyperSizer-designed heat shield will be used on later, manned flights.

HyperSizer, the first-ever software commercialized out of NASA, provides stress analysis and sizing optimization for reducing the weight of aircraft, wind turbine blades, and other structures in addition to space vehicles -- whether designed with composite or metallic materials. A typical HyperSizer analysis produces weight savings between 25 and 40 percent.

Using composites as an example, HyperSizer incorporates almost all composite analyses required for aerospace structures in a comprehensive user interface that couples very tightly the individual analyses and their corresponding margins-of-safety stress reporting. Starting with importing FEA-computed internal element unit forces from the global finite element model of the structure's panels and beams, HyperSizer solves for hundreds of different failure modes very rapidly using material allowables and its failure criteria that are specifically correlated to test results. Its rapid analyses allow full structure models to be analyzed to hundreds of load cases while also including stress/strain gradients from local detail effects. The software optimizes a design by surveying millions of candidate dimensions and laminates, finding optimum variables down to the ply level in a matter of minutes.

"We've developed a software program for flight certification in the zero-tolerance environment of NASA," says Craig Collier, president and founder of Collier Research Corporation. "We've continued to increase HyperSizer's speed and robustness, while reducing necessary user input and creating a more flexible and open platform. This makes it ideal for small teams of engineers that need to guarantee the repeatability of results before production, and ensures they can do so in a short amount of time."

Collier Research has added a U.S. distributor to their multinational network: Jim Jeans, president of Structural Design & Analysis, Inc. In addition to Collier technical experts, Jeans will be available at Collier Research's HyperSizer booth #3072 to answer questions and provide information.

For those interested in learning more about this project at CAMX, James Ainsworth, aerospace stress engineer at Collier Research, will present a paper during the Thursday morning session that will give an in-depth look at the design and analysis process, as well as the analytical methods used to perform trade studies of the Orion heat shield carrier structure.

To book a private demonstration of HyperSizer software at CAMX, contact Jennifer Hause at Collier Research: Jennifer.Hause@HyperSizer.com.

Source: Collier Research

Published October 2014

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