At its core, aerospace structural design is guided by the equation shown below. Engineers optimize their structure such that it can be as light as possible, while still showing a positive margin of safety – indicating that the chosen design will survive the loads the structure will face in service.
HyperLoads is a visual tool which allows the engineer to verify and inspect results from all 3 parts of the equation in 3D space. For a chosen design, if the Allowable Load Envelope fully encompasses the Design-to Load Envelope, then the design is safe for all load conditions. Viewing these envelopes - as well as the margin vector representing the shortest distance between them - in a 3D space provides this visual clarity, even in the case of load interactions.
HyperLoads is dependent upon Zone selection in the traditional HyperX interface. Zone(s) must be selected in order for envelopes to be seen in the HyperLoads viewport.
For this example, let's take the two different Zones shown below.
Select both Zones of interest in the Viewport. From there, open the HyperLoads Viewer either from the Ribbon or from the right-click menu.
The HyperLoads Viewer is an additional viewport that "sits on top of" the traditional HyperX interface.
The Settings Pane is located on the lefthand-side of the HyperLoads viewport, and is used to control what data is being shown in the plot interface. Use these options to:
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Toggle between 3D and 2D views
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Change the plot axes between membrane loads (Nx, Ny, Nxy) and moments (Mx, My, Mxy)
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Select which load types (both Design-To and Allowable, if applicable) are shown
The other important viewport tool is the HyperLoads Ribbon. The HyperLoads Ribbon operates very similarly to the main Ribbon in HyperX. It is organized in to three tabs, based on the controls organized on each: View, Design-to Loads, and Allowable Loads.
To visualize Design-to Load Envelope(s) for the selected Zone(s), be sure to have the "Design-to Loads" option "checked" on the Settings Pane.
In the most basic case, a Design-to Load Envelope is generating by plotting the FEA Loads from each element, for each Design Load Case, in the selected Zone in 3D Nx, Ny, Nxy space.
Take the case below shown for a single Zone. Selecting the Zone and opening the HyperLoads viewport, you can see an element-based 3D envelope plot. This Zone has 154 elements, and this model includes 17 Design Load Cases. This 3D plot, therefore, contains 2618 points, one for each element, for each load case. Coloring by Design Case shows how each Design Load Case affects the envelope.
The number of Design-to Envelopes shown per Zone is dependent upon the selected load type and processing technique. How these envelopes are shown (vectors vs envelopes, transparency, etc.) and what the data is colored by (envelope type, design case, etc.) can all be altered on the Design-To Loads tab of the ribbon.
Tip
There are myriad plot options and workflows specific to Design-to Loads Envelopes. Our most recommended can be found here: Design-To Loads Enveloping.
Notice
Must have HyperX Solver license in order to generate Allowable Load Envelopes. See HyperX Solver for more information.
To visualize Allowable Load Envelope(s) for the selected Zone(s), be sure to have the "Allowable Loads" option "checked" on the Settings Pane.
Allowable Load Envelopes are a way to quantify the capability of a particular design in any combination of loading in 3D space. This is done per panel, per failure criteria (including customer-specific Analysis Plugins). It also takes into account all objects and object-specific failure (i.e. hat crowns, spacing spans, etc.).
Note
If the Allowable Envelope completely contains the Design-To Envelope, the Structure's current design will satisfy all load cases, and therefore has a positive margin of safety.
There are two modes for plotting Allowable Loads, which are also toggled in the settings pane.
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Idealized Allowable Loads - Allowable envelope(s) generated by back-calculating the allowable loads for uniformly spaced Nx, Ny, Nxy load ratios to generate a 3D allowable failure surface. See Idealized Allowable Loads.
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Actual Allowable Loads - Allowable envelope(s) generated using actual FEA Nx, Ny, Nxy, Mx, My, and Mxy load values to plot allowable points. In other words, this option shows the allowable envelope(s) based on existing Analysis or Sizing results for the selected Zone(s), and therefore requires HyperX results. See Actual Allowable Loads.
Margin Vectors are enabled from the View tab of the HyperLoads Ribbon.
Important
Both Design-To and Allowable loads must be shown in the viewport (toggled in the Settings Pane) in order for Margin Vectors to be plotted.
A Margin Vector can be drawn in between any load vector and corresponding allowable surface combination. The dropdown menu gives users the ability to select which view they prefer. The image above, is showing "All" margin vectors - one for each Design-to Load vector - rather than, for example, just the critical one.
It is also useful to label margin vectors using the Data Probe. Labels can be tailored to show only desired points of interest about the margin. Use the "Label All" option if you have multiple Margin Vectors plotted - this way all vectors will be labeled automatically, rather than having to label them one-by-one.
Tip
This is a useful tool for screenshots.