A Safer Landing with Water Impact Analysis
Using Altair’s own HyperWorks virtual simulation suite, Altair ProductDesign built an accurate finite element model of the module from CAD data supplied by NASA, as well as a section of water and air which matched the conditions from the lake used during the physical tests. The effect on the module’s structure during impact was simulated to gauge how well the results correlated with the physical tests. The results showed excellent correlation between the simulation and physical tests, identifying areas where the model, input parameters and meshing methods could be improved to give a more accurate prediction of the event.