ESAComp is software for the analysis and design of composite laminates and laminated structural elements
The development work was initiated by the European Space Agency (ESA/ESTEC), who envisioned open software which would combine all necessary composites analysis and design capabilities under one unified user interface. Although it originated in the aerospace field, ESAComp has been developed as a general tool for people dealing with composites, both in industry and in research.
The core of the ESAComp development work was conducted under an ESA/ESTEC contract by Helsinki University of Technology's Laboratory of Lightweight Structures and its partners. The first official release of ESAComp came out in 1998. In 2000, the development work was transferred to Componeering Inc., which also serves as software distributor and provider of ESAComp support services.
ESAComp has a vast set of analysis and design capabilities for solid/sandwich laminates and for micromechanical analyses. It further includes analysis tools for structural elements: plates, stiffened panels, beams and columns, bonded and mechanical joints. Thanks to its ability to interface with widely used finite element software packages, ESAComp fits seamlessly into the design process.
ESAComp Capabilities and Key Features
See also: New features in the ESAComp 4.0 release (.pdf 1.34 MB)
Graphical user interface. All functions are accessible through a unified user interface which guarantees an efficient workflow.
ESAComp objects, multi-level database and Data Base. Work with ESAComp is based on objects: fibers/matrix materials, plies, laminates, plates, beams, bonded or mechanical joints, and loads. The database is divided into three levels: the user and company levels, and the ESAComp Data Base. This includes data for commonly-used composite materials and material systems.
Analysis capabilities. See the detailed list.
Multiple analyses and graphic display of results. The user has almost limitless options for selecting and combining the resulting data. For example, several objects, laminate orientations or failure criteria can be selected for analysis. The results can be displayed as numeric tables, layer, bar, line, and polar charts, carpet plots, failure envelopes, and 3D contour plots.
Design tools. The user specifies a design target by setting constraints and objectives for various design attributes. Based on the multiobjective design approach, the laminate evaluation tool establishes the feasibility and quality of candidate laminates. The laminate creation tool generates feasible and efficient laminates from candidate plies.
FE export/import interfaces. Laminate lay-ups specified in ESAComp can be easily exported to FE software, along with the related material properties. After the FE analysis, the results can be imported back into ESAComp for detailed post processing. Currently-supported FE software include: ABAQUS, ANSYS, I-DEAS, MSC.Nastran., MSC.Patran, and NISA™. ESAComp can be extended easily to support other FE packages..
SI and Imperial (British/U.S.) units. Units and output formats can be changed at any time during the session.
User extensions. User modules, such as new failure criteria and micromechanics models, can be integrated in the system. ESAComp analyses can be incorporated into other applications by running ESAComp in batch mode.
Comprehensive documentation. ESAComp provides on-line help for user guidance and extensive theoretical background documents for reference.
ESAComp Analysis Tools
- Fiber/matrix micromechanics
- ply engineering constants and thermal/moisture expansion coefficients based on the mechanics of materials approach or user specified micromechanics models
- ply properties as a function of volume/weight fraction or ply directionality of bi-directional plies
- Plies
- analyses for constitutive and thermal/moisture expansion behavior of plies
- ply carpet plots for (0/90/±q)s laminates
- Laminates
- 2.5D behavior - classical lamination theory (CLT) based analyses for constitutive and thermal/moisture expansion behavior of solid and sandwich laminates
- parameterized "theta-laminates" - orientation of ±q-layers as a variable
- parameterized "p-laminates" - proportional amount of selected layers as a variable
- laminate strength in principal loading conditions
- load response - laminate and layer level response including out-of-plane shear stresses, effects due to thermal/moisture loads
- failure
- first ply failure (FPF) and degraded laminate failure (DLF)
- several commonly used failure criteria (e.g. max stress/strain, Tsai-Hill, Tsai-Wu, Puck 2D/3D) and a possibility to add user specified criteria
- interlaminar shear failure
- core shear failure and face sheet wrinkling of sandwich laminates
- constant and variable load approach in determining margins of safety
- prediction of failure modes and critical layers
- failure and design envelopes
- FPF and DLF analyses combined with wrinkling
- stress or strain space, any combination of principal loads
- layer envelopes of a single laminate, laminate envelopes for multiple laminates and multiple failure criteria, thermal/moisture or mechanical load as parameter
- probabilistic 2.5D behavior - Monte Carlo simulation, input as statistical distributions of ply properties and given layer angle variations
- sensitivity studies for 2.5D behavior and FPF analyses - tolerances for a ply property or layer orientations
- notched laminate analysis of circular and elliptic holes - load response, FPF, and stress concentration factors
- layer drop-off - exterior or embedded drop-off in a solid laminate or a face sheet of a sandwich
- straight free edge analysis using built-in FE solver
- laminate through-the-thickness temperature distribution
- laminate through-the-thickness moisture distribution and moisture content as a function of time
- Plates and stiffened panels
- Mindlin plate analysis using built-in FE solver
- rectangular plates with any combination of clamped, simply supported, and free edges
- possibility to define stiffeners with I, C, Z, or T cross section
- load response and failure due to transverse loads (combinations of a point load, line loads, and distributed load), stability and failure under in-plane loads, natural frequencies
- Beams and columns
- cross section properties for laminate/sandwich, circular, elliptic, rectangular, and I cross sections
- beam analysis based on Timoshenko beam theory
- combinations of clamped, simply supported, and free end supports
- load response and failure due to transverse loads (combinations of a point load, distributed load and end moments), stability and failure under axial loads, natural frequencies
- Bonded joints
- joint types: single lap, single strap, double lap, double strap, single sided scarfed lap joint, double sided scarfed lap joint, bonded doubler
- beam and plate models for adherends, linear and nonlinear adhesive models
- combinations of axial, bending, and in-plane/out-of-plane shear loads
- joint deflections, forces and moments in adherends, adhesive stresses, margins of safety for cohesive failure of adhesive and laminate failure due to in-plane and bending loads
- Mechanical joints
- single and double lap joints under axial loads
- fastener and by-pass loads, laminate stresses and strains on fastener holes, margins of safety for failure, prediction of failure mode
ESAComp Design Tools
ESAComp contains versatile tools for laminate analyses. They are adequate also for design purposes as far as the design problem is limited. However, finding a compromise solution that satisfies many constraints and meets many objectives optimally is difficult with any analysis system. Since such problems are typical in structural design, a specific design system is integrated into ESAComp. At the moment the system is capable of finding solutions for multiobjective design problems of continuous laminates.
A possibility to specify a design target is introduced in the form of a design specification. It allows to set constraints and objectives for important design attributes of the laminate.
Two tools are provided for laminate design: one allowing to evaluate feasibility and mutual quality of candidate laminates, the other allowing to create feasible and efficient laminates from candidate plies. The tools are called the laminate evaluation tool and the laminate creation tool, respectively.
The laminate evaluation tool is introduced since the designer may face a problem where he or she has a prespecified set of laminates to choose from. The tool is also a valuable aid in the laminate creation process where feasibility and quality of candidate laminates must be studied. The need of a laminate creation tool is obvious since the search of a feasible and efficient laminate for an application is one of the main tasks of a composites designer.
ESAComp FE Interfaces
Thanks to its ability to interface with widely used finite element software packages, ESAComp fits seamlessly into the design process of composite products. ESAComp analyses can be used with the design tools for the preliminary design of laminated structures. Laminate lay-ups and the related properties specified in ESAComp can be exported into FE software using the FE export interface. After FE analysis, designers can import results to ESAComp using the FE import interface. This allows laminate level post processing and further improvement of the structure.
The supported FE software packages are
- ABAQUS™
- ANSYS™
- ASKA™
- I-DEAS™
- MSC.Nastran/Patran™
- EMRC NISA™ (export)
According to current plans, next FE software to be supported with export interface is LS-DYNA™.
ESAComp User Extensions
Current user extension capabilities:
- New failure criteria and micromechanics models can be specified using the CLIPS language.
- Other applications can use ESAComp analyses by executing ESAComp in batch mode and reading results from an output file generated by ESAComp.
- Result displays and reports can be tailored with the ESAComp macro language.
ESAComp Data Base
ESAComp Data Base provides material data mainly on aerospace materials but also industrial grades are included. Material types covered are matrix materials, fibers, adhesives, reinforced plies, core materials and metallic materials. Most of the data is from material suppliers but also some typical material data compiled from several sources is provided.
Data Base top level structure:
- Fibers
- Matrix materials
- Plies - Homogeneous
- Plies - Reinforced
- Adhesives
- Cores - Homogeneous
- Cores - Honeycomb
NEW: ComPoLyX - Enhanced FE post processing for composites:
As a result of a new partnership between Componeering Inc. and EVEN - Evolutionary Engineering AG, the post processing capabilities for ESAComp are provided by ComPoLyX software developed by EVEN. (See Press Release, Sept. 26, 2008)
ESAComp add-on modules for FE post processing are replaced by the enhanced capabilities of ComPoLyX. The current version of ComPoLyX supports exchange of material data with ESAComp. Closer integration of ComPoLyX and ESAComp is under way. The ESAComp database and material definition capabilities (Database Module) will be utilized in ComPoLyX for efficiency and ease of use. Further on, the composites failure analysis capabilities will be merged to guarantee consistency in the different phases of the design process. Already now the ComPoLyX failure analyses are compatible with ESAComp.
ComPoLyX is distributed as part of the ESAComp software suite through the ESAComp sales channels. [more...]
ESAComp is available for the following platforms:
- MS Windows 2000/NT/XP
- Linux (x86, Intel/AMD)
- HP-UX (PA-RISC)
Other Unix/X Window platforms will be supported based on demand.
ESAComp Customer References
ESAComp is currently used by companies, research institutes and universities in twenty-five countries around the world. Some reference users are listed below.
Companies:
- Alcan Airex AG, Switzerland
- Alcatel Alenia Space, France
- AOES Group B.V., The Netherlands
- Contraves Space AG, Switzerland
- Ariane 5 - ACY structure and various other projects
- DIAB, Sweden, Australia, U.S.A.
- EADS Astrium, Germany
- EADS CASA Espacio, Spain
- ARIANE, FESTIP and HISPASAT
- Exel Oyj, Finland
- Fläkt Woods Oy, Finland
- FY-Composites Oy, Finland
- T-2000 air cushion vehicle for the Finnish Navy
- HTS Hoch Technologie Systeme GmbH, Germany
- Hytec Inc., U.S.A.
- ilyabe ingénierie, France
- IMA Materialforschung und Anwendungstechnik GmbH, Germany
- MAN Technologie AG, Germany
- Patria Aerostructures Oy, Finland
- XMM satellite telescope tube
- TERMA A/S Aerospace & Defense, Denmark
- Umoe Mandal AS, Norway
- The Skjold Class Fast Patrol Boat
Research Institutes and Universities:
- Aalborg University, Institute of Mechanical Engineering, Denmark
- CENIM - Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Metalúrgicas, Spain
- CERN, Switzerland
- Particle detectors for the Large Hadron Collider (LHC)
- Chinese Academy of Space Technology (CAST), China
- ESA/ESTEC, The Netherlands
- ETH Zurich - Centre of Structure Technologies, Switzerland
- Faculdade de Engenharia da Universidade do Porto, Portugal
- Helsinki University of Technology - Ship Laboratory, Finland
- INTA - Instituto Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial, Spain
- Technische Universität München - Lehrstuhl für Leichtbau, Germany
- Universidad Politécnica de Madrid - ETSI Aeronáuticos, Spain
- VTT Industrial Systems, Finland
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ESAComp
