Developer(s) | Collier Research Corporation |
---|---|
Stable release |
6.1
|
Operating system | Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7 |
Type | Design & Analysis software |
License | Commercial |
Website | www |
HyperSizer is computer-aided engineering (CAE) software used for stress analysis and sizing optimization of metallic and composite structures. Originally developed at the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as ST-SIZE, it was licensed for commercial use by Collier Research Corporation in 1996. Additional proprietary code was added and the software was marketed under the name HyperSizer.
HyperSizer developed from the NASA Langley Research Center (LaRC) ST-SIZE research code. ST-SIZE was originally developed because NASA identified a need for accurate methods of formulating panel stiffness and thermal expansion coefficients, leading to the development of ST-SIZE from 1988 to 1995. Another need was the reduction of mass on high-speed aircraft and weight reduction for optimization. ST-SIZE was developed by a team of engineers working on the National Aerospace Plane X-30. Two major versions of ST-SIZE were created. The original version included formulations for stiffness terms and thermal expansion coefficients based on approximations often taken in traditional design methods. In 1990, a version of ST-SIZE was formed for structural design and weight prediction. A new method for formulation of stiffened panel properties was developed starting in 1991. A method for including composite lamina and laminate data in the formulation of stiffened panel structural properties was first developed. Thermal coefficients were created to handle both in-plane and through-the-thickness temperature gradients for membrane, bending, and membrane-bending coupling. A method was then developed to enter these thermal expansion and bending coefficients into the MSC Software version of Nastran for finite element analysis (FEA) using a model with a single plane of finite elements. Other solvers are supported such as I-DEAS.
In May 1996, Collier Research Corporation was formed in Hampton, Virginia from the original ST-SIZE design team, which included Craig S. Collier. Collier Research obtained an exclusive, all-fields-of-use license, and became the first company to license NASA software for commercial use. They combined the NASA LaRC ST-SIZE copyright research code with other company proprietary software; the combined software became HyperSizer.