Craig Collier (left) congratulates the winners of the first annual Collier Research HyperSizer American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Structures Best Paper Award, Rauno Cavallaro (right), Luciano Demasi (center), and Andrea Passariello (not present), for their paper entitled "Nonlinear Analysis of PrandtlPlane Joined Wings. Part II: Effects of Anisotropy" presented at the 2013 AIAA/ASME/ASCE/AHS/ASC Structures, Structural Dynamics, and Materials Conference. The award, which was endowed by Collier Research, will continue to be presented at the yearly conference.

NASA Ames uses HyperSizer software to optimize the first modular Common Bus vehicle for use in a moon-dust mission. By using HyperSizer throughout the design-test-build cycle, the engineering team could fully validate their modular design for LADEE. The software provided other benefits as well. During critical design review (CDR), for instance, Fernandez was able to produce graphical outputs that clearly illustrated structural margins, critical load cases, and critical failure modes. The tool generated a stress report that became part of the final Primary Structure Stress Substantiation Report.

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Engineers tasked with designing more efficient airframe wing boxes are confronted with a host of challenges. All aspects of the entire structure must be optimized, while also maintaining extensive engineering data and resolving a number of manufacturability issues-especially where composites and hybrid laminates are concerned. Even with today's sophisticated CAD and FEA software, barriers to innovation still exist throughout the industry. Addressing many of the current limitations in airframe design, HyperSizer from Collier Research Corp. offers design, analysis, and optimization solutions for both composites and metals.

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