Collier joins NASA’s Advanced Composites Consortium
January 16, 2017 - United States Of America
Collier Research Corporation, a leading design optimisation software firm, has become a member of NASA’s (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) Advanced Composites Consortium (ACC), that aims to bring better composite material analysis, design, and manufacturing into practice to help maintain American leadership in aviation manufacturing.
Collier is among the newest members joining the original group formed in 2015.
NASA Langley Research Centre (LaRC), FAA William J. Hughes Technical Centre, The Boeing Company, General Electric Company (GE), Lockheed Martin Corporation, United Technologies Corporation, and the National Institute of Aerospace (NIA) – ACC Integrator.
The consortium was formed by NASA in support of the Advanced Composites Project, which is part of the Advanced Air Vehicles Program in the agency’s Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate. The project’s goal is to reduce product development and certification timelines by 30 per cent for composite aircraft.
Collier Research’s HyperSizer was the first software to be commercialised out of NASA. It has been used on many projects for the US Space Program (such as the Orion Crew Module) and by many aircraft manufacturers—including Spirit AeroSystems, which designed a fuselage for the Bell V-280 Valour defence helicopter prototype for the Department of Defence’s Joint Multi-Role Technology Demonstrator (JMR TD) program.
Craig Collier, president of Collier Research said, “The push to take weight out of structures designed for flight is leading to a greater use of composites in the aerospace industry. As these advanced materials are more complex to certify than metals, the use of automated, integrated analysis and design-performance optimisation is critical, from the earliest stages of development all the way through manufacturing, to ensure that composites are used most effectively and certified for flight most efficiently.”
Craig Collier has been appointed cooperative research team (CRT) leader of two ACC initiatives: rapid tools and design for manufacturing. (GK)
Collier is among the newest members joining the original group formed in 2015.
NASA Langley Research Centre (LaRC), FAA William J. Hughes Technical Centre, The Boeing Company, General Electric Company (GE), Lockheed Martin Corporation, United Technologies Corporation, and the National Institute of Aerospace (NIA) – ACC Integrator.
The consortium was formed by NASA in support of the Advanced Composites Project, which is part of the Advanced Air Vehicles Program in the agency’s Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate. The project’s goal is to reduce product development and certification timelines by 30 per cent for composite aircraft.
Collier Research’s HyperSizer was the first software to be commercialised out of NASA. It has been used on many projects for the US Space Program (such as the Orion Crew Module) and by many aircraft manufacturers—including Spirit AeroSystems, which designed a fuselage for the Bell V-280 Valour defence helicopter prototype for the Department of Defence’s Joint Multi-Role Technology Demonstrator (JMR TD) program.
Craig Collier, president of Collier Research said, “The push to take weight out of structures designed for flight is leading to a greater use of composites in the aerospace industry. As these advanced materials are more complex to certify than metals, the use of automated, integrated analysis and design-performance optimisation is critical, from the earliest stages of development all the way through manufacturing, to ensure that composites are used most effectively and certified for flight most efficiently.”
Craig Collier has been appointed cooperative research team (CRT) leader of two ACC initiatives: rapid tools and design for manufacturing. (GK)