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Developer says 20% blade weight reduction possible

By Paul Dvorak | February 1, 2010

The results are from a HyperSizer analysis of NASA's all-composite alternative to the metal Orion crew module, which recently passed critical load and pressure testing to meet NASA's strict safety requirements.

Increasing rotor blade length increases its swept area, thereby increasing the amount of captured energy. But larger blades add significant weight to a turbine. So reducing wind-structure weights through composite materials is essential to improving overall efficiency. HyperSizer Structural Sizing Software can assist. It is a tool for engineers who must analyze and optimize composite wind blades. The software, from Collier Research Corp., integrates with FEA, and can update a CAD model, to help rapidly design a lightest-weight structure, provide insight into design innovation, and produce the most readily manufacturable design, all in less time than previously possible. The software has significantly reduced weight on aerospace programs with rapid analysis and composite optimization. In fact, HyperSizer has helped aerospace users cut weight of some structures by 20%.


Filed Under: Blades, Software
Tagged With: composite blades, composite structures, Hypersizer, lighter blades
 

About The Author

Paul Dvorak

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