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Composites Engineering: ESAComp

ESAComp

ESAComp is a software for the analysis and design of composite laminates and laminated structural elements.

 

Development

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 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.

Key Features

  • Graphical user interface.
    All functions are accessible through a unified user interface which guarantees an efficient workflow.
  • ESAComp objects, multi-level database and Data Bank.
    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 Bank. This includes data for commonly-used composite materials and material systems.
  • 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.

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