Bell Helicopter, Spirit AeroSystems Complete Fuselage Project

In its recent completion of the Bell V-280 tilrotor fuselage, Bell Helicopter/Spirit AeroSystems used HyperSizer from Collier Research to run its sizing, analysis and structural integrity applications.

The software was used to meet the V-280’s aggressive schedule for the Department of Defense’s Joint Multi-Role Technology Demonstrator program. The unit’s design and prototype was completed in 22 months and will be used for its flight in the second half of 2017.

In addition to analysis capabilities, HyperSizer also provided the engineers with automated stress-report generation that enabled them to review and vet all relevant data in order to prove-out the structural soundness of the fuselage.

“The design-analysis cycle for a typical aircraft program requires many iterations between the designer (CAD) and the stress analyst. This is a very time-consuming process.The automated analysis tool in our software allows the stress analyst to define the required structural configuration, informing the designer about the best configuration that optimizes the stiffness of the structure,” says  James Ainsworth, structural engineering at Collier Research.

For more information, visit Collier Research.

Sources: Press materials received from the company and additional information gleaned from the company’s website.