Altair HyperWorks now in use by the Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research (CU-ICAR)
HyperWorks CAE platform to support multi-disciplinary structural design curricula
TROY, Mich., (March 15, 2008) – Altair Engineering, Inc., a leading global provider of technology and services that empower innovation and decision-making, announced today that the Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research (CU-ICAR) is now providing HyperWorks CAE tools for graduate and undergraduate courses in structural design and optimization.
CU-ICAR is a premier educational and research facility for automotive and motor sports engineering. Its unique academic program offers master’s and doctoral degrees in automotive engineering with an emphasis on systems integration. CU-ICAR’s evaluation of HyperWorks, the industry’s most comprehensive open-architecture CAE solution, highlights its great potential for creating innovative engineering courses and research programs.
“Our students are using HyperMesh and OptiStruct to design innovative structural systems that require advanced finite-element meshing capabilities and optimization,” said Dr. Lonny L. Thompson, Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Director of the Innovative Computational Engineering and Mechanics Lab at Clemson University. “The HyperWorks open architecture – to be able to easily import parts and assemblies from different CAD packages, create meshes, and export to different finite-element programs – enables us to integrate with the different formats of our industry partners.
Clemson’s mechanical engineering program is also expanding the role of HyperWorks tools in multi-disciplinary engineering analysis courses.
“In our senior-level technical elective course, ME 440 - Materials for Aggressive Environments - we have been introducing the students to the concept of total-life-cycle (TLC) material selection,” said Dr. Mica Grujicic, Professor of Mechanical and Materials Engineering. “The use of multi-disciplinary computational engineering analysis to assess manufacturability, performance, durability and recyclability of alternative designs is an integral part of the TLC approach. Such analyses entail solid modeling, pre-processing, topology, size and shape optimizations, linear and non-linear structural mechanics computations, manufacturing process simulations, and post-processing. We are very pleased that all of these capabilities are available within Altair HyperWorks.”
“Having a single computer package that possesses all of these capabilities makes it possible to cover a large range of concepts, methods, and tools in a one-semester course.” Grujicic said. “HyperWorks is also proving to be a critical tool in our ongoing research into the use of polymer-metal hybrid technologies in load-bearing body-in-white components to reduce weight and cost.”
“The HyperWorks CAE platform provides answers to many engineering challenges facing today’s automotive industry,” said Dr. David Schmueser, University Program Manager of Altair Engineering, North America. “We expect more inquiries about HyperWorks from university research centers, particularly in the areas of optimization and complex system integration. All industries have to frontload their research and development processes and will need to optimize products as early as possible.”
“I am very happy that CU-ICAR has chosen HyperWorks, and I am sure that CU-ICAR students, faculty, and industrial partners will benefit from the flexibility and advanced simulation solutions in HyperWorks,” Schmueser said.
About CU-ICAR
CU-ICAR is a unique, advanced technology research campus and community designed to integrate university, industry and government partnerships. Situated on 250 acres of property on I-85 in Greenville, SC, CU-ICAR is surrounded by automotive assemblers and suppliers and two-thirds of the nation’s racing teams. Unlike traditional research parks, CU-ICAR is designed to foster integration of faculty, students and industrial partners. In each of five “technology neighborhoods,” a multidisciplinary University magnet facility serves as a catalyst building to provide critical resources and linkages for graduate education and R&D. The Carroll A. Campbell Jr. Graduate Engineering Center in Technology Neighborhood One houses the automotive engineering graduate programs. To learn more, please visit:
www.cu-icar.com.
About Altair
Altair Engineering, Inc. empowers client innovation and decision-making through technology that optimizes the analysis, management and visualization of business and engineering information. Privately held with more than 1,300 employees, Altair has offices throughout North America, South America, Europe and Asia/Pacific. With a 20-year-plus track record for enterprise analytics, product development, and advanced computing, Altair consistently delivers a competitive advantage to customers in a broad range of industries. To learn more, please visit
www.altair.com.