STRATEGY AND SOFTWARE ENVIRONMENT FOR VIRTUAL DESIGN AND NONDESTRUCTIVE EVALUATION PROTOTYPING

Austral Engineering and Software, Inc. proposes to continue development of a strategy and software for integrating nondestructive evaluation (NDE) models and design tools, through a systems-based approach, into a computer-aided software system for productlife cycle design and optimization. In Phase I, AES developed a strategy for modeling and integration, built a proof-of-concept software system, and demonstrated the feasibility of integrating NDE models with product life models, design space explorationand optimization algorithms, and visualization methods to address product service reliability and cost. In Phase II, AES will enhance the systems-based approach for virtual design and NDE prototyping, and expand the software capability through theintegration and development of advanced NDE system design tools. This Phase II effort will result in a commercial prototype software system for rapid evaluation and optimization of alternatives while considering multiple design, inspection, maintenance,damage tolerance, and life-extension objectives. The capability will be provided to incorporate both NDE and integrated vehicle health monitoring approaches to ensure product reliability. The software will also provide the flexibility to model a complexseries of inspections and repairs often found in the field. This approach will improve NDE procedure reliability and reduce development costs by minimizing expensive empirical studies.