M4SS Follow-Along: Electric GA Aircraft

OpenVSP Workshop 2019

9/18/2019

Long Beach, CA

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 Overview

• Electric GA Summary
• M4SS-OpenVSP: Wing Sketch Point Layout
• M4SS-Sketch: Fuselage Sketch Point File

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 Electric General Aviation Example

• Two passenger, electric drive general aviation aircraft

– All composite structure
• Step-by-step procedures covered:
– M4SS-OpenVSP: Wing Sketch Point Layout
– M4SS-Sketch: Fuselage Component Sketch File

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 Electric GA Example Files

• Provided with trial M4SS installation software

• Main Examples directory located at (upon installation):
– C:\Users\[USERNAME]\M4SS\Examples
• Electric GA files supplied (MAKE A COPY NOW)
• Examples/
– ElectricGA/
• Step1/
– Full vehicle VSP file (ElectricGA.vsp3)
– Full vehicle VSP file with sketch points defined (ElectricGA_SPL.vsp3)
• Step2/
– Component STL files (*.stl)
– Component RFS files (*.rfs)
– Vehicle Sketch file (ElectricGA.veh)
• Step3/
– Component STL files (*.stl)
– Component RFS files (*.rfs)
– Vehicle Sketch file (ElectricGA.veh)
• Step4/
– Component STL files (*.stl)
– Component RFS files (*.rfs)
– Vehicle Sketch file (ElectricGA.veh)
– BDFs/
» NASTRAN Solution BDF files (case_*.bdf)
» NASTRAN Component BDF files (*.bdf)
» NASTRAN F06 Results files (*.f06)
» NASTRAN OP2 Results files (*.op2)

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 Overview

• Electric GA Summary
• M4SS-OpenVSP: Wing Sketch Point Layout
• M4SS-Sketch: Fuselage Sketch Point File

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 Running M4SS-OpenVSP

• Windows Start Menu → M4Software → M4SS-OpenVSP

• M4SS-OpenVSP menu bar, select File / Open
• Navigate to Examples\ElectricGA\Step1, and open
ElectricGA.vsp3
• OpenVSP model consists of four main components: wing,
fuselage, htail, and vtail

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 Wing Modeling

• In OpenVSP Geom Browser, select the

fuselage, htail, and vtail components
• Select Cut on Clipboard bar
• Automated Wing Layout Tool will be
used
• On OpenVSP menu bar, select M4
Structures Studio / Automated Layout
Tools / Automated Wing Layout Tool
• Select XY for the Sketch Plane
• Select Number of Ribs = 10 on Rib(s) tab
• Select Number of Spars = 2 on Spar(s)
tab
• Input LE Spar Location = 0.20
• Input TE Spar Location = 0.8
• Click Build Wing Layout button on
Summary tab

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 Wing Sketch Point Modifications

• Click on wing_SPL object in Geom

Browser
• Enable Symmetric on Sketch Point Layout
window
• Select Sketch Points 25, 26, 27, and 28
– Click and drag mouse, or hold Ctrl and click
multiple Sketch Points
• Select Multi-Point Adjustment button on
Sketch Point Layout window
• Select Multi-Point Traverse option in
Sketch Point Adjustment Tool
• Enter Delta U value of -0.009 Sketch Points Delta U
• Use same procedure to modify the groups 25, 26, 27, 28 -0.009
of Sketch Points shown in table 29, 30, 31, 32 0.055
33, 34, 35, 36 0.100

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 Final Adjusted Wing Sketch Points

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 Export to M4SS

• On OpenVSP menu bar, select M4

Structures Studio / Export Sketch
File(s)
• Click on Directory Browser (…) for
File Export Location
• Select directory to save Sketch files
• Uncheck Create Point Update File
• Check Create Vehicle Sketch File
• Enter name for Vehicle (ElectricGA)
• Check Open in M4SS-Sketch Editor
• Check Sketch Point Layouts to
export (wing_SPL)
• Click Create M4SS Sketch File(s)
button
• Click on Include ALL Cards message
box

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 M4SS-Sketch

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 Overview

• Electric GA Summary
• M4SS-OpenVSP: Wing Sketch Point Layout
• M4SS-Sketch: Fuselage Sketch Point File

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 Assemble Fuselage Sketch

• Open M4 Structures Studio – Sketch

• Load Vehicle → step2/ElectricGA.veh

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 Partially completed Sketch

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 Fuselage Sketch

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 Edgepoints

• Edgepoints enable meshing around curved geometry

• Points: 1, 5, 6, 10, 11, 15, 16, 20, 21, 25, 26, 30, 31, 35, 36, 40,
41, 45

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 Materials

• Define material properties

• → Action: “ADD”
• → Explicit Sketch Card: “MTRL”
• → MTRL Type: “ORTHOTROPIC”
• → Fill in values
• → Press [Add MTRL]

Material Type MTRL ID E1 E2 NU12 G12 G1Z G2Z RHO

PW Carbon Orthotropic 1 8.36e+06 8.28e+06 0.057 557000.0 0.0 0.0 0.05390192

Core Orthotropic 2 2.0e+04 2.0e+04 0.35 3500.0 0.0 0.0 0.00173611

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 Properties

• Define property regions for composite shell elements

• → Action: “ADD”
• → Explicit Sketch Card: “PROP”
• → PROP Type: “LAMINATE SHELL (PCOMP)”
• → RID: “701”
• → Leave NSM, LAM, and Z0 blank
• → Add plies in order
– → Choose MID and fill in T, LALLOW, UALLOW, and THETA
– → Press [Add Ply]
• → Press [Add PROP]
• → Repeat for RID of 702, 712, 722 with the same layup
– Note ply layup will default to previous

Ply MID T LALLOW UALLOW THETA

1 1 0.02 0.02 0.4 0.0
2 2 0.4 0.0
1 1 0.02 0.02 0.4 0.0

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 Proptags

• Add descriptive tags to categorize properties

• → Action: “ADD”
• → Explicit Sketch Card: “PROPTAG”
• → Fill in PROP TAG LABEL
• → Choose PROPs
• → Press [Add PROP Tag]
• → Repeat for each tag

PROP TAG LABEL PROP IDS

FUSELAGE_BULKHEAD 701
FUSELAGE_SKIN 702, 712, 722

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 Skins

2
1 3
4
• Define the skin structure
• → Action: “ADD”
• → Explicit Sketch Card: “SKIN4”
• → SKIN4 ID: “7001”
• → SKIN4 Property ID (A-Side): “702”
• → SKIN4 Property ID (B-Side): “702”
• → Check Auto Create Single Skin4
• → Select four points
• → Action: “SHOW”
• → Check SKIN4 7001
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 Skins

2 3

1
4

• → Action: “DELETE”
• → Press [Delete all SKIN4]
• → Action: “ADD”
• → Explicit Sketch Card: “SKIN4”
• → SKIN4 ID: “7001”
• → SKIN4 Property ID (A-Side): “702”
• → SKIN4 Property ID (B-Side): “702”
• → Check Skin4 Paver
• → Select four points
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 Skins

2 3

1
4

2 3

1 4

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 Skins

2 3

1 4

3
2

1 4

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 Skins

2 3

1 4

2
3

4
1

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 Skins

2
3

4
1

2 3

1 4

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 Beams

• Define internal structure (bulkheads)

• → Action: “ADD”
• → Explicit Sketch Card: “BEAM”
• → BEAM ID: “7001”
• → Property - Web: “701”
• → Check Beam Paver
• → Select end points

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 Beams

• Add beams along each bulkhead Point 1 Point 2

• → Action: “ADD” 1 5

• → Explicit Sketch Card: “BEAM” 11 15

• → BEAM ID: “7001” 26 30

• → Property - Web: “701” 31 35

36 40
• → Check Beam Paver
41 45
• → Select end points

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 Attachments

• Add point nonstructural masses and rigid attachments

• → Action: “ADD”
• → Explicit Sketch Card: “ATTACHMENT”
• → Fill in ID, DESC, TYPE, MASS, and CG
• → Type or select points from sketch GUI
• → Press [Add ATTACHMENT]
ID DESC TYPE MASS CG - X CG - Y CG - Z Point ID(s)

1 battery DEFORMABLE 220 29.945 0.0 -6.037 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15

2 motor DEFORMABLE 66 17.939 0.0 0.418 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

13 wing_attach RIGID 0 88.367 0.0 -17.748 16, 17, 21, 22, 26, 27, 28

14 tail_attach RIGID 0 181.64 0.0 -1.659 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45

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 Meshsize

• Set mesh density

• → Action: “MODIFY”
• → Explicit Sketch Card: “MESHSIZE”
• → MESHSIZE: “3.0”
• → E TOL: “0.3”
• → Press [Modify MESHSIZE]

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 Merge

• Define steps to merge components into a single FEM

• → Vehicle Category: “Merge”
• → Explicit Vehicle Card: “RIGID”
• → Action: “ADD”
• → Choose MERGE ID, Component 1, AID1, Component 2, AID2, and
KSPRING
• → Press [Add RIGID]
MERGE ID Component 1 AID1 Component 2 AID2 KSPRING
1 wing 3 fuselage 13 1.0e9
2 fuselage 14 htail 24 1.0e9
3 fuselage 14 vtail 34 1.0e9

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 Param WTMASS

• Set weight to mass factor

• → Vehicle Category: “Analysis”
• → Explicit Vehicle Card: “PARAM”
• → Action: “ADD”
• → PARAM Analysis ID: “1”
• → PARAM Name: “WTMASS”
• → Parameter Value: “in/s^2”
• → Press [Add PARAM]

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 Finished Sketch

• We’re ready to mesh the model. Continue

or
• Load Vehicle → step3/ElectricGA.veh

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 M4SS-FEM

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 Nastran

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 M4SS-Weight

• Now Nastran has run. Continue

or
• Load Vehicle → step4/ElectricGA.veh

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 M4SS-Weight

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 M4SS-Weight

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 Thank You

Questions/Suggestions/Contact:

Tyler Winter
twinter@m4-engineering.com
Phone: (562) 735-3837 M4 Engineering, Inc.
www.m4-engineering.com
Phone: (562) 981-7797
Mark Sutton
msutton@m4-engineering.com
Phone: (562) 735-3810
Sales/Licensing Inquires:
Joe Robinson Dan Abir
jrobinson@m4-engineering.com dabir@m4-engineering.com
Phone: (562) 735-3807 Phone: (562) 981-3803

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 M4 Structures Studio Promotion

• Special OpenVSP Workshop Promotion through 12/31/19

– Purchase quarterly license
– Upgrade to annual license within (90) days
– We will discount annual by 2X quarterly cost
– Contact dabir@m4-engineering.com for more details

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