Collier HyperSizer v6.2 Improves Design and Manufacturability of Composites and Metals

By DE Editors

Collier Research has released HyperSizer v6.2 structural sizing and analysis software. The latest version of the product, which is used in the spacecraft and aviation industries, includes new modeling capabilities for airframe wing box designs, and laminate zone and ply-count optimization enhancements to improve manufacturing efficiency.

HyperSizer targets weight while serving as an independent and neutral data exchange hub for CAD, FEA, and composite software packages. It iterates with FEA solvers, calculates margins of safety, validates failure predictions with test data, and sequences composite laminates for fabrication, avoiding weight growth as designs mature. On average customers reduce weight by 20 percent.

In the past, our designs were often overweight, said Ian Fernandez, former materials and analysis lead on NASA Ames Research Centers LADEE satellite project. HyperSizer has enabled our Center to be more competitive in this regard. Its a robust analysis tool that allows us to complete our weight and strength studies in far less time, while finding optimal ply coverages.

HyperSizer has been used on a wide variety of NASA spacecraft projects including the current Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, previous Ares I and V launch vehicles, the Composite Crew Module, and the metal Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle. Commercial aviation customers include Boeing, Bombardier, Goodrich, Gulfstream, and Lockheed Martin. HyperSizers capabilities are also appropriate for applications in wind turbine blades, ship hull and superstructures, high-speed railcars, and automobile body components.

For airframe wing box and fuselage structures, the Discrete Stiffener Modeling component of the software automatically identifies in the FEM, skin shell and stiffener beam elements and optimizes their spacings, heights, and laminates. This provides the flexibility for designing panel bays with non-uniformly spaced stiffeners of varying directions, dimensions, and materials, while also assigning margins to each unique stiffener panel segment.

An improved, six-step process optimizes laminates (transition zones, ply-count compatibility, ply drops/adds, global ply tracking) while balancing strength, stability, and manufacturability. This leads to fabrication efficiencies and factory-floor cost-savings.

For more information, visit Collier Research.

Sources: Press materials received from the company and additional information gleaned from the company's website.