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Import FEM, assign elements to Structural Zones, extract FEA computed forces, Analyze and Size each zone, update the FEM, and rerun the FEA solution to compute new load paths. Understand the big picture of HyperX interacting with your FEM by reading more here.
At its most fundamental form, HyperX interacts directly with your model to perform stress Analysis and Sizing. The FEM Input file - which defines the elements, materials, and properties/sections - provides the basic input for HyperX Zones. HyperX then extracts the element-by-element forces resulting from the FEA solve - for all load cases - to use as the applied loads for Analysis and Sizing.
HyperX offers several different mechanisms for interacting with your model, each of which are explained below.
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FEM Import - This is the first step in the majority of HyperX workflows. Use this click-along guide to understand how to bring your FEM into HyperX, as well as to understand what HyperX is doing in the background during this import process. See also Transition from FEM to HyperX to see how to best organize your FEM for convenient HyperX organization.
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Import Properties and Materials - In some cases, it is desirable to write margins of safety to the as-modeled FEM designs, rather than performing Sizing. This requires importing the exact material and property/section definitions from the FEM. HyperX supports this workflow and automatically creates and assigns the corresponding Design Properties to the correct Zones, so Analysis can be readily performed.
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Re-Import a FEM - Throughout the design process, the FEM will change whether it is a change to element/property definitions, adding/subtracting load cases, or the like. The HyperX FEM Re-Import process allows you to import these FEM changes without having to redo your existing HyperX setup.
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Export an Updated FEM - After Sizing, the FEM must be updated to contain materials and property/section definitions corresponding to the Sizing results. HyperX automates this process as needed.
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HyperX also offers HyperFEA - a tool that automates the tedious FEA Iteration process of exporting an updated FEM, running that updated FEM through a solver to generate new loads, reimporting those new loads, and resizing accordingly.
HyperX supports the aerospace industry's leading FEA solvers used for static stress analysis. See references below for more information:
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Nastran/Optistruct Quick Reference - This page is designed to serve as a quick reference guide for the best practices for using HyperX with Nastran/Optistruct. Although not exhaustive, this guide is a self-contained reference for most of the modeling techniques relevant to HyperX.
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Abaqus Quick Reference - This page is designed to serve as a quick reference guide for the best practices for using HyperX with Abaqus models. Although not exhaustive, this guide is a self-contained reference for most of the modeling techniques relevant to HyperX.
Element type definition, orientation, and offsets are directly related to how HyperX interprets the model. It is also important to understand the requirements for FEA solution files. Use the reference the guides below to understand the specifics of which element types and FEA results HyperX supports and how it operates with each.
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Bar Elements - View this reference to understand which bar element types are supported, how offsets are handled, and the corresponding orientations preferred.
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Shell Elements - View this reference to understand which shell element types are supported, how offsets are handled, and the corresponding orientations preferred.
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FEA Results - Use this page to understand the FEA solution types supported by HyperX.
The pages below outline recommendations from Collier Aerospace engineers for particular "gotcha" scenarios - in other words, how we would recommend navigating these common problems.
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Spar Cap Modelling - When creating an accurate representation of a wing in a FEM, it is common to explicitly model spar caps in order to properly capture the load sharing between those caps and the surrounding wing skin. There are several different modelling techniques - including different element types, reference planes, and orientations. On the analysis side in HyperX, there are just as many options in the way of reference plane definition and Design Property assignment. Each of these decisions can change the contribution of spar caps to the overall wing CG. This article reviews several options for modeling spar caps in the FEM, the corresponding HyperX setup, and offers insight on the pros and cons.
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Handling Virtual Moments - In cases where the FEM Reference Plane and the Analysis Reference Plane are not in-line with one another, HyperX will calculate the Virtual Moment required to properly shift the FEA loads to the correct analysis reference plane. Use this article to better understand how to handle Virtual Moments.