Technical Summary

HyperSizer® is stress analysis & sizing weight reduction optimization software for structures. HyperSizer couples automatically to FEA such as NASTRAN for system level trade studies, local sizing optimization, and structural component failure analysis margin-of-safety reporting, while reducing engineering time and effort. As a productivity and standardization tool, the software saves time and documents results during the conceptual layout phase all the way to generating the final design stress reports. By fully exploring the design space, in most cases HyperSizer is able to reduce airframe weight 20%.

The software solves detailed mechanical and thermal residual stresses/strains for metallic and composite materials, and performs detailed failure analysis of panels, beams, and joints. Flat and curved panel buckling stability, local buckling, cross-section crippling, and beam-column stiffened panel specific analyses are provided, as well as honeycomb sandwich specific analyses such as facesheet wrinkling. Failure envelopes are generated of optimized designs that include all failure analyses. Composite failure analyses are available for traditional quadratic and new physically based ply theories, a fiber/matrix micromechanics approach, and laminate AML and polynomial damage tolerance design curve allowables. Composite material strength and panel buckling failure predictions have been correlated to tests and forms the basis of an included reliability analysis (probabilistic method) based on correlation factors for test scatter and analysis inaccuracy.

BJSFM bolted hole and recently advanced fully anisotropic multiaxially loaded bonded joint analyses are provided. 19 failure criteria are identified specifically for peel and interlaminar stresses that cause damage initiation delamination and adhesive debonding. Five different non-linear adhesive material models are provided. For bonded joint damage tolerance, HyperSizer includes a Strain Energy Release Rate (SERR) calculation via the Virtual Crack Closure Technique (VCCT) implemented in a Non-FEA method suitable rapid preliminary design.