At the recent 2014 Composites and Advanced Materials Expo (CAMX) (previously SAMPE), Collier Research Corporation will demonstrate a key software program used to lightweight the heat shield of NASA’s Orion Multi-purpose Crew Vehicle—HyperSizer. NASA’s Orion team used information gathered from HyperSizer analyses to inform discussions that led to a 23% reduction of the final weight…

HyperSizer v6 structural sizing and analysis software can help reduce structure weight while maintaining strength and improving manufacturability, especially for complex composite and metallic designs. Developed and proven at NASA, the software—the first commercialized by the agency—has a track record of 20% weight reduction in high-profile government and commercial aerospace projects. Composites have gained wide…

A first objective on most any large design project is to get to the lightest weight possible. At NASA Langley Research Center, where I helped develop the code that later became HyperSizer, designs for spacecraft that include composites also have a zero failure-tolerance. Those projects must strike a critical balance between low weight and high…

Article by Craig Collier/President, Collier Research Corp./Hampton Roads, Va./hypersizer.com The first objective of most any large wind turbine blade design project is to get to the lightest weight possible. At NASA Langley Research Center, where I helped develop the code that later became HyperSizer, designs for spacecraft that include composites also have a zero failure-tolerance.…

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…