Firm:

          

AnalySwift

          

   

Address:

          

444 Jennings Street, West Lafayette, IN 47906 - ____

          

   

Phone:

          

(801) 599-5879                                                                                                                                                                                

          

   

Name:

          

Purdue University - Main Campus

          

   

Address:

          

701 West Stadium Ave, IN 47907 - 0000

          

   

Phone:

          

(765) 494-5142                                                                                                                                                                                

          

   

Name:

          

Dr. Wenbin Yu

          

   

E-mail:

          

wenbinyu@purdue.edu

          

   

Address:

          

701 West Stadium Ave, IN 47907 - 0000

          

   

Phone:

          

(765) 494-5142                                                                                                                                                                                

          

   

Name:

          

Allan Wood

          

   

E-mail:

          

allanwood@analyswift.com

          

   

Address:

          

5413 Crus Corvi Rd, UT 84081 - 5213

          

   

Phone:

          

(801) 599-5879                                                                                                                                                                                

          

   

Estimated Technology Readiness Level (TRL) :                                                                                                                                                          
Begin: 3
End: 5

          

          

     

Technical Abstract (Limit 2000 characters, approximately 200 words):

One promising solution to affordable space exploration beyond the lower Earth orbit lies in advanced tailorable composites and/or hybrid material systems (TC-HMS), which can equip lightweight space structures with reduced thermal sensitivity while retaining their strengths/stiffnesses. In contrast to conventional unidirectional fiber-reinforced composites (UDFRCs), TC-HMS have: 

• Location-dependent stiffness/strength, coupling structural design with material design. 
• Stiffness and strength dependent on both location and stacking sequence. 

There are still major technical barriers to exploiting the full potential of TC-HMS: 

• Most efforts are aimed at simple structures with special-purpose codes — there is a need for theories and codes integrated into commercial codes for the design of real TC-HMS structures. 
• Most approaches are based on the classical lamination theory (CLT) and its refinements, which rely on assumptions applicable to UDFRCs but not necessarily TC-HMS — there is a need for more advanced models capable of accurately modeling TC-HMS without ad hoc assumptions. 

We will develop an efficient high-fidelity design tool for advanced TC-HMS, including: 

• An integrated design framework with user-friendly GUI plug-ins in MSC.Patran/Nastran and Abaqus, exploiting these tools’ versatile modeling capabilities and ready to be integrated into other commercial codes. 
• A versatile parameterization method capable of expanding the design space for TC-HMS; considering varying fiber orientations, ply coverages, and microscale material selection simultaneously, and accompanied by general-purpose optimizers capable of producing TC-HMS designs with optimized load paths. 
• Mechanics of structure genome (MSG)-based thermomechanical micromechanics and plate/shell models designed to compute the location-dependent stiffness and strength of a TC-HMS; rigorously derived and capable of accurately predicting displacements/strains/stresses due to both loads and temperature changes.

          

          

     

Potential NASA Applications (Limit 1500 characters, approximately 150 words):

• Lightweight structures for satellite buses, landers, rovers, solar arrays, antennas
• Cryogenic tanks, pressurized habitats (including hatch, access, window cutout features), and other structural components (lander truss cages, landing gears)
• Next-generation airframe technology (hybrid/blended wing body)
• Highly flexible wings, highly fatigue/damage tolerant structures for vertical lift aircraft
• Deployable composite booms, foldable panels, hinges, reflectors

          

          

     

Potential Non-NASA Applications (Limit 1500 characters, approximately 150 words):

• Better engineering and qualification of broader composite lightweight structures (with improved predictive capabilities)
• Validated design and analysis tools for the industrial realization of tailorable composites (aerospace, energy/wind, auto, marine, etc.) with reduced cost & time

          

          

     

Duration:     13