It’s not just the radiation and thermal effects of space that can kill space hardware; getting it up there in the first place is no easy task. Low-frequency, high-amplitude sine wave vibrations from rocket engines combined with random high-frequency spikes from explosive decoupling events can wreak havoc on expensive hardware.
This is why it is important to test prototypes on Earth for flight qualification—before sending that billion-dollar kit into the void.
Here’s the kicker, though. Prototypes are not cheap either. In fact, a flight model (FM), the costliest of prototyping models, uses exactly the same components as the finished version—and there are many other prototypes before that. There are qualification models (QM), engineering models (EM) and a whole slew of other prototypes, with each succeeding version having a higher cost and fidelity than the previous one.
So in many cases, it is preferred to conduct simulations of structures and other hardware systems before committing to cutting metal. Any process that can reduce materials, labor and tooling costs is a good thing.
In fact, simulations are used in the “phase zero” or “pre-phase A” design phase to determine whether the project is feasible at all. There is absolutely no point in rushing to design a super-duper satellite with amazing optical resolution, if it turns out that the final product will be too heavy to launch on a particular rocket or will shake itself to pieces as soon as it lifts off.
Of course, simulation is widely used as the project matures and as the original design goes through various iterations. That is what Thales Alenia Space España was counting on when it recently invested in the MSC Apex CAE platform.
For the past 20 years, Thales Alenia has relied on MSC NASTRAN. While NASTRAN is excellent for Finite Element Analysis of space hardware structures and was in fact designed for NASA with that task in mind, it can be a little long-winded when it comes to modifying and meshing models and running the simulation.
In the past, if a project were to require the smallest change in geometry, then engineers would have to virtually redesign the entire part from scratch in separate CAD software, import it into NASTRAN, mesh the part and run the simulator.
MSC Apex does away with all of that and allows changes to be made to the model within Apex and dynamically generates a fresh mesh as the part is updated, thanks to a direct modeling and meshing engine.
According to Thales Alenia Space España, this functionality has reduced the time required to prepare the model and mesh by 30 percent.
The Apex platform itself is divided into two segments: MSC Apex Modeler and MSC Apex Structures. The former is the CAD element and the latter is the FEM element.
Apex Modeler offers the following features:
- Sketching
- Geometry edit tools
- Direct modeling tools
- Assembly connections
- Midsurface creation and repair tools
- Meshing and mesh editing
All in all, it appears to offer what you would expect from an engineering CAD solution—only it is integrated within the full Apex platform.
The Apex Structures segment promises to offer:
- Generative Framework
- Linear Structural Analysis
- Incremental Validation
- Results View
- Incremental Solve
- Study Manager
The incremental validation and incremental solve features are particularly noteworthy for their time-saving capability. These features allow simulation to be stored from the first solve to be reused in subsequent simulations, resulting in reduced solve times.
MSC states that the learning curve for engineers to use this software has been reduced from weeks or months down to just a few days. Additionally, MSC claims that engineers have reported the new platform to be both fun to use and also addictive. It would seem that having a pretty UI and colorful and futuristic graphics no doubt play a role in achieving this.
So there you have it. Simulation is no longer the chore that it once was and space engineers can have fun with their designs outside of the confines of the Kerbal Space Program.
Can I get a free copy please?
For more on MSC Apex read this previous article.