HyperX features processes to optimize and assess your FEM that broadly fall into two categories: Sizing (optimization) and Analysis (assessing margins of safety). Whether you are Sizing or Analyzing your Structure, you must assign a Design, Analysis, and Load Property to it first. The details and differences between these modes, as well as how to view their results, is discussed in the sections below.
There are a few terms to keep in mind when considering the following sections:
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Design Variable - Anything that can be controlled by the designer; dimensions, material, ply percentages, etc.
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Design Space - The N-dimensional space containing all possible combinations of N variables.
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Feasible - Satisfying all of the requirements specified by the designer; failure criteria; variable bounds, manufacturing constraints.
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Infeasible - Failing to meet the above requirements for any reason.
A single Design Property (in this example, "Plate -11") contains two separate input sets, Sizing and Analysis.
Sizing, which can be divided into three modes, involves optimizing the given design space, while Analysis is assessing margins of safety for a single design. Use the "Size" button to initiate sizing of the given Sizing inputs, and "Analyze" to run a margin assessment of the Analysis input.
Each input type can also be overridden - using the Sizing and Analysis Overrides tables, respectively.
Inputs can be "pushed" between Sizing and Analysis modes as needed.
Setup by Concept
The setup for Rapid Sizing varies depending on the concept you are trying to Size.
For Laminates and Sandwiches, simply specify a Material on the Design Property, assign it to the Zones, and generate optimum laminate stacks.
For Stiffened Panels, more settings are required. These settings can be accessed from the "Advanced" dropdown on the Design Property and are pre-defined for users so that setup is minimal. These can be customized according to your design/manufacturing requirements.
Methodology
Detailed Sizing is based on a full-factorial evaluation of the design space.
The inputs for Detailed Sizing are:
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Min/Max/Permutations for each Dimension.
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Material selection.
HyperX processes all of the possible combinations of those inputs as Candidates. Each Candidate represents each individual combination of inputs. So, any change to your inputs will update the "# Candidates" in the lower right of the form. HyperX then evaluates Candidates from lightest to heaviest and stops when a feasible design is found.
Set Variables
The Set Variables tool quickly generates inputs for Detailed Sizing, including geometry and Laminate inputs. The tool runs Rapid Sizing and uses those results to define Sizing Inputs for Detailed Sizing that "box" the Rapid Sizing result. Clicking the Set Variables button will launch the form. The appearance of this form will vary depending on the panel concept.
Tip
For more information, see Set Variables.
Sizing Overrides
The min/max/step inputs can be overridden per Zone using Sizing Overrides.
Note
The Overrides used for Analysis are separate than those used for Sizing.
To Analyze in HyperX is to assess the margin of safety values for a single design at the current load state - i.e. no variables are being Sized.
Where do Analysis Dimensions Come From?
Analysis dimensions can come from a few sources:
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User Input - You can create a new Design Property and manually input a material and dimensions per variable.
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Import from FEM - When creating a Structure, select 'Assign Designs'. HyperX will automatically import materials and property definitions from the imported FEM. This effectively converted Property Cards into Design Properties and assign them to corresponding Zones.
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Existing Sizing Results - You can push results from the last Sizing run to Analysis modes via Dimension Overrides. This can be done manually or automatically after each Sizing run.
Analysis Dimension Overrides
Individual dimension and material inputs can be overridden per Zone using Analysis Overrides.
Note
The Overrides used for Sizing are separate than those used for Analysis.
HyperX features multiple tools for viewing and reporting results, all of which can be found on the Result tab of the Ribbon. These tools are summarized below.
Legend
The Legend is the main data visualization feature of the HyperX interface. It allows for the display of nearly all data values both imported from the FEM as well as generated by the software during analysis. The Legend can also be used to plot analysis inputs, panel settings, custom data, and more.
The Legend window, launched from the Results tab on the Ribbon, contains the Legend key, the name of the active data category, and the units if applicable. Left-clicking on any given color bin will cause the model entities with results in that bin to become selected, for a more interactive visual verification tool.
At the highest level, the Legend is divided into three tabs. Each features dropdown menus and lists to select data to plot on the model:
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Plot - Select what data to view on the model as a contour.
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Visualize - Modifying display settings of the Legend and selecting color palettes for the contour plots.
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Deform - Displaying the deformed shape of the model by Design Load Case or subcase.
Watch Window
The Watch Window shows a tabular snapshot of data for selected Zones. Any input, Analysis result, and Sizing result can be shown here. Use this real-time, interactive data to trace through analysis calculations and supplement reports. The Watch Window is used to query input and output data values for Zones and Joints.
This window is launched from the Results tab of the Ribbon:
To display data in the Watch Window, simply add data columns to the table and select Zones/Joints of interest from the Viewport.
Analysis Watch Window
The Analysis Watch Window is a dynamic data table that shows all margins of safety calculated for a selection of Zones. Use it to understand the margin of safety results and directly access specific method documentation and Analysis Detail Reports.
An example Analysis Watch Window for a group of composite stiffened panels is shown above. Each row represents an active analysis criterion, each column represents a Zone, and each data value is the corresponding margin. Notice that each Zone is further broken up by object (i.e. span, web, cap, etc.) to add another level of detail for interrogation and understanding.
To display data in the Analysis Watch Window, simply select Zones or Joints of interest and open the window - either from the Ribbon or by right-clicking on the selection and selecting "Analysis Results" from the dropdown.
Analysis Detail Reports
Analysis Details are a particular kind of Excel-based Stress Report that contains intermediate data used to generate margins of safety for each Zone and failure criteria. In conjunction with the Theory sections of the Help Documentation, these reports allow users to trace through the details of each margin of safety calculation.
Excel Stress Reports
Excel Stress Reports automatically extract meaningful stress analysis data (margin details, material definitions, weights, dimensions, etc.) from the current Database and organize it into a well-formatted Excel Spreadsheet. These reports can either be stand alone to review data that isn't readily available in the HyperX interface or they can be referenced by other reports to support design review or certification.
Word Stress Reports
Word Stress Reports automatically extract meaningful stress analysis data (margin details, material definitions, weights, dimensions, etc.) from the current Database and organize it into a well-formatted Word document. The idea is to provide a flexible means to generate a stand-alone Word-based report that serves to document all relevant Analysis and Sizing data to support any sort of design review or certification process.