CLOUD

SANTA ANA, Calif., -- MSC.Software Corp., the leading global provider of simulation software, services and systems, today announced that Huntington Beach, California-based Applied Analysis and Technology used MSC.visualNastran for Windows to help the U.S. Department of the Interior's Bureau of Reclamation redesign the amphitheater at the Hoover Dam near Las Vegas, Nevada. Hoover Dam is one of the Bureau of Reclamation's multipurpose projects on the Colorado River managing flood control, storage and delivery of Colorado River waters for reclamation of public lands and hydroelectric power production. "Our professional products like MSC.Nastran for Windows are tailor-made for engineers at small and medium-sized businesses who need sophisticated virtual product development tools at a lower price point," said Frank Perna, chairman and chief executive officer of MSC.Software. "MSC.Software has the broadest software product portfolio in the industry and we will continue to support the needs of engineers at small businesses around the world." The focal point of the Visitor Center is a circular, rotating amphitheater that holds 450 people. Visitors enter the theater and, once seated, view a 10-minute presentation while the amphitheater rotates. After the presentation visitors exit the amphitheater and begin their tour of Hoover Dam. Unfortunately, the wheels upon which the amphitheater turntable revolves continually broke down shortly after the amphitheater opened and the amphitheater has been out of services for two years. In order to get the amphitheater up and running as quickly as possible, the Department of the Interior turned to Applied Analysis and Technology to determine the causes of the failure. After performing stress analysis with MSC.visualNastran for Windows, Applied Analysis was able to pinpoint the source of the failures as fatigue with crack initiation resulting from stress concentrations. The results of the static stress, impact and fatigue simulations indicated that there was higher than anticipated stress concentration effects at the wheel-to-axle welded interface in the existing turntable casters. In order to increase fatigue strength, the wheel casters in the support mechanism needed to be redesigned using a higher grade of material, 4340 bar stock and an increased axel diameter to support the more than 900,000 lbs. platform. Stress concentration effects were removed and a shock absorbing design feature added to reduce impact loading and minimize variable wheel loading. "The original design for the turntable was done without using FEA," said David Dearth, owner of Applied Analysis and Technology. "Our new design is fully supported by MSC.visualNastran for Windows and we are confident it will help solve the problems the amphitheater has experienced." The U.S. Department of the Interior is currently in the process of reviewing fabrication and installation quotes for implementing Applied Analysis & Technology's new design and is working to have the amphitheater up and running in 2003.