Simulation of Laminate Composite Space Antenna Structures: Sairam Prabhakar

Sairam Prabhakar
Simulation of laminate composite

space antenna structures
FEMAP SYMPOSIUM 2014
Femap Symposium 2014
May 14-16, Atlanta, GA, USA Discover New Insights
Unrestricted © Siemens AG 2014
Agenda
• Background
• Workflows for modeling composite antenna structures
• FEMPLY to pre-process composite structures
• Post-processing laminate composite structural analysis with FEMPLY
• SA Toolkit for rapid random response analysis

Page 2 2014-05-15 Siemens PLM Software
Laminate composites for space structures
• Why Composites:
• Lighter
• $10,000 - $100,000 to put a pound of
payload into orbit
• 20% lighter than Aluminum
• Stiffer
• Directional stiffness which can be tailored Radarsat1
Source: Wikipedia
• High modulus Carbon fibers – 350 GPa
• Thermally Stable
• Can design zero Thermal Conductivity

Next Generation Composites: MDA Medium-Sized
Reflector
• Medium (0.9 m dia) reflector developed by MDA

Corp and Composites Atlantic
• One of the early composites reflectors: light, stiff

and exceptional thermal stability
• Technology now used by ESA Sentinel satellite

program, Intelsat, and Boeing
• Significant profitability:
• Original development funded by Canadian
Source: MDA Corp
Space Agency grant of $939,000
• Revenue generation of ~ $5 Million annually for
MDA Corp

Introduction to MAYA
 MAYA Simulation is a developer of leading-edge software

packages for a variety of engineering applications
 Thermal, CFD, structural, laminates, NVH, durability
 Strategic Partner of Siemens PLM Software

 OEM provider of software products and components since 1986
 VAR in North America, specializing in CAE
 105 employees
 75 technical staff, 24 Ph.D’s
 Extensive experience in CAE consulting using SPLM tools

MAYA Simulation Technologies
• Over 2 decades of structural analysis experience:

specifically in composite satellite structures
• Structural customers include MDA, Bristol Aerospace,

Composites Atlantic,….
• Recent successes: RADARSAT and CASSIOPE
• FEMAP and NX for Pre/Post. NX Nastran for solving

Source: CSA
Key steps in structural analysis of composites
• Defining layup:
• “Global” ply definitions
• “Drop-off” definitions
• As-manufactured fiber orientations:

• Draping simulation
• Orientation-consistent NASTRAN PCOMPs
• Ply-wise results processing
• User-defined failure indices from NASTRAN

computed stress/strain results

What is FEMPLY
FEMPLY is a Composite Ply-Based Modelling tool fully integrated

into Siemens’ FEMAP Pre/Post-processor offering fast, efficient
and simple definition of complex component layups.
FEMPLY Pro extends the

functionality by adding:
• Ply Draping
• Flat Pattern Export
• Laminate Failure Calculations
• Sandwich Stability
Calculations
• Failure Envelope Charting

What is Ply-based Modeling
Layup Based Modelling Ply Based Modelling
User Defines Ply

User Defines Layups
Extents
/ Properties
Layups / Properties
User Applies Automatically Created
Properties to Parts of and Properties Applied
the Model to Parts of the Model

Why Perform Ply-Based Modeling?
Layup Based Ply Based

Modelling Modelling
No. of Plies to define. 4* 4
No. of Layups to define. 7 1
No. of Properties to define. 7 -
Total User Inputs. 4*+7+7=18 5

*If Post-processing using global ply IDs is required

Key Features: Simple Ply Definition

Key Features: Remapping plies on Remeshing

Key Features: Ply Draping
Export draped patterns to DXF

Draping results can be used to apply properties with modified fibre
angle.
Ply Interior holes are handled
Key Features: Advanced Post
• Max Stress/Strain
• Tsai-Wu
• Hill
• Hoffman
• Puck
• LaRC02
Layered Results as well

as Critical Ply and Fibre
Angle Output Vectors are
created.

Key Features: Post-processing sandwich panels
• Skin Wrinkling
• Shear Crimping
• Honeycomb Dimpling
Critical Direction and

Face Output Vectors are
created.

Key Features: User Defined Failure Theories
• No Programming Skills
Needed.
• Ply stresses, strains

and moduli available as
variables
• Multiple Conditions

Key Features: Reporting
• Plot Ply Failure Envelopes
• Export Bill of Material and

Layup data to MS Word
• Export Laminate and

Sandwich Failure calculations
to MS Word

Structural Analysis Toolkit (SA Toolkit) for NASTRAN
• Efficient and accurate random and sine solutions from

NASTRAN normal modes results
• Efficient post-processing of Nastran results
• Ranking, sorting, enveloping, filtering
• Summaries by groups, subcases, etc.
• Margins of safety for different failure types
• Direct manipulation of .op2 file data
• Extremely efficient for large models
• Support NX, MSC Nastran
• Windows & Linux
• Automatic Report Generation
• HTML, MS Excel®, ASCII

SA Toolkit Suite
 Random vibration processor

 Sine vibration processor
 Modal processor
 Energy processor
 Mass processor
 Stress processor
 Grid point force processor
 Element force processor

SA Toolkit Random Processor
SAToolkit Random Processor
• Statistics are required to assess the probability of the response’s

magnitude
• Random theory assumes

that the input follows a
Gaussian distribution.
• The same assumption
applies to the response
 x2
1
p( x)  e 2
2
 2
Source: Wikipedia
20
Examples of response quantities that do not follow Gaussian distributions

• Von Mises stress
Source: Wikipedia
21

Examples of response quantities that do not follow Gaussian distributions

• Tsai-Wu composite failure index

Evaluation of non-Gaussian responses
• To evaluate response quantities that do not follow Gaussian

distributions, numerical approximations are required:
• Segalman or Fast approximation method for Von Mises stress
• Also need to validate the approximation using Monte Carlo

simulation

Peak Results
True peak stresses and failure metrics based

on a probability level that is either:
• Directly specified, OR
• Equivalent to a Gaussian pdf with specified
standard deviation
• eg 99.73% = 3 sigma

Efficient and Accurate Interpolation
Uses NX Nastran eigenvectors from a SOL 103 run

• High-performance integration algorithm
• Does not require frequency card (FREQ) definition
• Avoids the risk of error by under-specification of number of computation
frequencies
• Only need to supply the minimum and maximum frequency bounds for the
simulation

High Performance Solver
Composite tube model benchmark

• 29,000 solid elements
• 60 plies defined on PCOMPS card
• SOL 103 .op2 file size: 1.82 GB
• Stress request: Bottom/middle/top
• Peak ply stress extraction: 58 secs
• Peak max stress failure index extraction: 1 min 12 secs

Random Ply Results
• Elemental
• Ply stresses, strains
• Homogeneous stresses and strains, Von Mises stresses
• Shell resultants, 1D and 3D element forces
• Nodal
• Acceleration, displacement, velocity, grid point force, mpc
force, spc force
• Relative or absolute displacements, U U
 S ( ) d   S ( ) d 
2 2
velocities and accelerations 1 1 
N 0 
L
 L
• Number of positive crossings 2 U

2 RMS
 S ( ) d
• All entities or selected groups L

Compensation for Modal Truncation
Modal Truncation Effects

• Account for modal truncation effects via either:
• Residual vectors via the NX Nastran RESVEC Case Control request, or
• Residual flexibility approach via the supplied DMAP

Conclusions
• FEMAP is an effective pre/post environment for laminate composite antenna

structure analysis
• FEMPLY provides enhanced workflows for composites structural analysis:

• Global ply based modeling
• Ply draping simulation
• Efficient results processing
• Complete set of polynomial and advanced failure theories
• User-defined failure theories
• SA Toolkit provides a fast and powerful tool for random response analysis

Contact
Sairam Prabhakar
Senior Technical Specialist
MAYA Simulation
4999 St. Catherine West
Montreal, QC, H3Z 1T3
Phone:
Fax: (514) 369-5706
Mobile: (514) 690-7247
E-mail:
sairam.prabhakar@mayahtt.com


Simulation of Laminate Composite Space Antenna Structures: Sairam Prabhakar

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Simulation of Laminate Composite Space Antenna Structures: Sairam Prabhakar

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Sairam Prabhakar

Simulation of laminate composite

• Workflows for modeling composite antenna structures

• FEMPLY to pre-process composite structures

• Post-processing laminate composite structural analysis with FEMPLY

• SA Toolkit for rapid random response analysis

Unrestricted © Siemens AG 2014

Unrestricted © Siemens AG 2014

• Medium (0.9 m dia) reflector developed by MDA

• One of the early composites reflectors: light, stiff

• Technology now used by ESA Sentinel satellite

Unrestricted © Siemens AG 2014

 MAYA Simulation is a developer of leading-edge software

 Strategic Partner of Siemens PLM Software

 Extensive experience in CAE consulting using SPLM tools

Unrestricted © Siemens AG 2014

• Over 2 decades of structural analysis experience:

• Structural customers include MDA, Bristol Aerospace,

• Recent successes: RADARSAT and CASSIOPE

• FEMAP and NX for Pre/Post. NX Nastran for solving

Unrestricted © Siemens AG 2014

• As-manufactured fiber orientations:

• Orientation-consistent NASTRAN PCOMPs

• Ply-wise results processing

• User-defined failure indices from NASTRAN

Unrestricted © Siemens AG 2014

FEMPLY is a Composite Ply-Based Modelling tool fully integrated

FEMPLY Pro extends the

Unrestricted © Siemens AG 2014

Layup Based Modelling Ply Based Modelling

User Defines Ply

Unrestricted © Siemens AG 2014

Layup Based Ply Based

No. of Layups to define. 7 1

No. of Properties to define. 7 -

Total User Inputs. 4*+7+7=18 5

Unrestricted © Siemens AG 2014

Unrestricted © Siemens AG 2014

Unrestricted © Siemens AG 2014

Export draped patterns to DXF

Layered Results as well

Unrestricted © Siemens AG 2014

Critical Direction and

Unrestricted © Siemens AG 2014

• Ply stresses, strains

Unrestricted © Siemens AG 2014

• Plot Ply Failure Envelopes

• Export Bill of Material and

• Export Laminate and

Unrestricted © Siemens AG 2014

• Efficient and accurate random and sine solutions from

Unrestricted © Siemens AG 2014

 Random vibration processor

Unrestricted © Siemens AG 2014

SAToolkit Random Processor

• Statistics are required to assess the probability of the response’s

• Random theory assumes

Examples of response quantities that do not follow Gaussian distributions

Unrestricted © Siemens AG 2014

Examples of response quantities that do not follow Gaussian distributions

Unrestricted © Siemens AG 2014

• To evaluate response quantities that do not follow Gaussian

• Also need to validate the approximation using Monte Carlo