At the show Collier Aerospace is launching its new structural analysis and design optimization composites software and two landmark projects demonstrating its capabilities.
April 21, 2022
By Grace Nehls, Managing Editor, CompositesWorld
At JEC World 2022 Collier Aerospace Corp. (Newport News, Va., U.S.) is announcing the global debut of its new analysis and design optimization software for composite structures used in aircraft, space and automotive vehicles and other high-end applications. The computer-aided engineering (CAE) solution is said to offer designers and engineers sophisticated new tools for balancing weight reduction with manufacturability, accelerating part development and helping to quickly achieve airframe certification by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), where applicable. To showcase the design optimization capabilities of this software, Collier Aerospace will feature at its booth two landmark projects: a novel composite racing sailboat and a natural fiber wind turbine blade.
To inform and educate customers about the new software, Collier Aerospace has created a new website that will be formally unveiled at JEC World, complete with in-depth technical content, graphics and demonstration videos and a slider bar that superimposes the software diagram of a vessel’s core sandwich panels and carbon fiber composite laminates on top of an actual photo of the vessel. Also, the company is to present live demonstrations at its booth and will have a display at the booth of its partner, Dassault Systèmes (Waltham, Mass., U.S., hall 6, booth B32). To further explain and demonstrate the software, Collier Aerospace will host a technical webinar on May 12, 2022.
According to Craig Collier, co-founder, CEO and president, Collier Aerospace, the completely redesigned software runs faster and handles larger models with a more powerful graphics engine and underlying relational database to hold terabytes of data. A streamlined workflow and redesigned modern interface are said to further enable engineers to adopt greater efficiency and expanded flexibility to analyze and optimize any type of composite, and other materials such as metals.
The software, licensed on a subscription basis, will replace HyperSizer, the company’s previous product. Existing customers will be invited to migrate to the new software. Collier Aerospace will continue to support HyperSizer throughout a customer’s transition period to HyperX.
At the event, Collier Aerospace will spotlight two major projects that illustrate the successful application of the new software, the company says. In the first case, the technology was used to size a carbon fiber composite racing sailboat that will attempt to break the world sailing speed record in 2023. A 1-meter scale model of the craft will be shown at the company’s booth. The other initiative evaluated the feasibility of replacing fiberglass with flax plant-based natural fiber reinforcement in wind turbine blades to reduce the environmental impact of the application during the design phase. The software was used to size the blade and define materials and ply layups.
In addition, to highlight the CAE software’s capabilities, Collier Aerospace is presenting a technical webinar on May 12 at 9 a.m. EST / 3 p.m. CEDT. Charli Cahill, manager of Customer Development and an aerospace structural engineer, will speak on automating stress analysis and structural sizing with the new solution. The webinar will describe key features of the software, including its model-centric interface, automated sizing functionality and ability to extract data for stress reporting. Those interested in attending the webinar can register here.
Visit Collier Aerospace in hall 6, booth K44.