Consortium members will be expected to help enhance the database and its services for the manufacturing community.
Data analytics, simulation, and high-performance computing (HPC) solutions provider Altair revealed that it will be launching a new consortium as part of its Altair Material Data Center database. This is expected to expand the database as well as its global network of manufacturing designers and engineers. Commercial electric vehicle battery developer Nikola Motors and the National Institute for Aviation Research at Wichita State University are currently the latest consortium members.
According to Altair, consortium members will work toward fulfilling the Material Data Center’s road map and ensuring that it continues to accurately reflect their needs. Members will be tasked with imparting real-world experiences and best practices, further enhancing the database’s services to the global engineering and manufacturing communities. The addition of the two organizations is expected to enable more strategic guidance.
“The foundation of predictable CAE structural simulations lays in the proper definition of standardized building block testing procedures for material characterization and processing the experimental data into verified and validated CAE material cards,” shared Gerardo Olivares, director and senior research scientist at the Wichita State University’s National Institute for Aviation Research. “NIAR’s Advanced Virtual Engineering and Testing research group is proud to be a steering committee member of Altair’s Material Data Center consortium.”
In addition, consortium members will receive early access to Altair’s latest software and technologies, among other benefits.
The Material Data Center was first established back in October 2020 as a single high-fidelity cloud-based material database for customers’ virtual prototyping and simulation tasks. It includes accurate data and data lineage for different materials, such as metals, plastics and composites. Designers, engineers and scientists can select and compare various materials for a single application via the database. Customers can then access data sheets, raw data, as well as solver cards with full traceability back to the supplier source with their full contact information. Users can also explore specific material properties, including structural, fatigue, fluid/thermal, and electromagnetic properties.
This data can be used from early concept design to manufacturing simulation, up to final validation. By using supplier-specific data, the supplier selection process can be quicker and allow manufacturers to streamline purchasing, production planning, and supply chain management much earlier.
The Material Data Center can also accommodate process-specific manufacturing data and automatically displays unit conversions of raw supplier test data into usable material property information. Users may also opt to use the actual interface of their simulation and optimization tools. The database currently has a growing list of partners that supply material data, including Baosteel, MATDAT, and SABIC.
It was originally available as a cloud-based stand-alone application. However, Altair announced plans to eventually integrate the technology with the Altair Inspire, Altair SimLab, and Altair HyperWorks interfaces. The company is also planning to release more features for administrators that will allow them to add proprietary materials as well as connect to third-party and customer databases. Physical test data can then be supplemented with properties using the Altair Multiscale Designer, which is designed for multiscale material modeling, particularly with composite materials.
For more information, visit Altair’s official website.
