computer science

Nastran

Nastran is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Nastran rather than just read about it. In short: NASTRAN is a finite element analysis (FEA) program that was originally developed for NASA in the late 1960s under United States government funding for the aerospace industry. The MacNeal-Schwendler Corporation (MSC) was one of the principal and original developers of the publicly available NASTRAN code.

Key takeaways

Nastran belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Nastran to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Nastran from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

NASTRAN is a finite element analysis (FEA) program that was originally developed for NASA in the late 1960s under United States government funding for the aerospace industry. The MacNeal-Schwendler Corporation (MSC) was one of the principal and original developers of the publicly available NASTRAN code. NASTRAN source code is integrated in a number of different software packages, which are distributed by a range of companies.

History The 1964 annual review of NASA's structural dynamics research program revealed that the research centers were separately developing structural analysis software that was specific to their own needs. The review recommended that a single generic software program should be used instead. In response, an ad hoc committee was formed. The committee determined that no existing software could meet their requirements. They suggested establishing a cooperative project to develop this software and created a specification that outlined the capabilities for the software. A contract was awarded to Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC) to develop the software. The first name used for the program during its development in the 1960s was GPSA, an acronym for General Purpose Structural Analysis. The eventual formal name approved by NASA for the program, NASTRAN, is an acronym formed from NASA STRuctural ANalysis. The NASTRAN system was released to NASA in 1968. In the late 1960s, the MacNeal-Schwendler Corporation (MSC) started to market and support its own version of NASTRAN, called MSC/NASTRAN (which eventually became MSC.Nastran). The original software architecture was developed by Joe Mule (NASA) and Gerald Sandler (NASA). NASTRAN software application was written to help design more efficient space vehicles such as the Space Shuttle. NASTRAN was released to the public in 1971 by NASA's Office of Technology Utilization. The commercial use of NASTRAN has helped to analyze the behavior of elastic structures of any size, shape, or purpose. It is used for example in designing railroad tracks, cars, bridges, power plants, skyscrapers, aircraft and many more. The program alone was estimated to have returned $701 million in cost savings from 1971 to 1984. NASTRAN was inducted into the U.S. Space Foundation's Space Technology Hall of Fame in 1988, one of the first technologies to receive this prestigious honor. The NASTRAN program has evolved over many versions. Each new version contains enhancements in analysis capability and numerical performance. Today, NASTRAN is widely used throughout the world in the aerospace, automotive and maritime industries. In 2001 NASA released the NASTRAN source code to the public along with the "NASA Classics" package via Open Channel Software for fees. In November 2002 MSC Software reached a final agreement with the FTC to resolve an antitrust case against the company in connection with two acquisitions of rival CAE vendors, Universal Analytics, Inc. (UAI) and Computerized Structural Analysis & Research Corp. (CSAR). The FTC had alleged the acquisitions represented anticompetitive activities. Under the terms of the settlement, MSC divested a clone copy of its current Nastran software. The divestiture was through royalty-free, perpetual, non-exclusive licenses to UGS Corporation. UGS Corporation was acquired by Siemens in 2007. Commercial versions of NASTRAN are currently available from several vendors.

Software architecture NASTRAN is written primarily in FORTRAN and contains over one million lines of code. NASTRAN is compatible with a large variety of computers and operating systems ranging from small workstations to the largest supercomputers. NASTRAN was designed from the beginning to consist of several modules. A module is a collection of FORTRAN subroutines designed to perform a specific task—processing model geometry, assembling matrices, applying constraints, solving matrix problems, calculating output quantities, conversing with the database, printing the solution, and so on. The modules are controlled by an internal language called the Direct Matrix Abstraction Program (DMAP). Each type of analysis available is called a solution sequence. Some of the most common solution sequence codes are:

101 - Linear Static 103 - Modal 105 - Buckling 106 - Non-Linear Static 107 - Direct Complex Eigenvalue 108 - Direct Frequency Response 109 - Direct Transient Response 110 - Modal Complex Eigenvalue 111 - Modal Frequency Response 112 - Modal Transient Response 129 - Nonlinear Transient 144 - Static Aeroelastic Analysis 145 - Flutter / Aeroservoelastic analysis 146 - Dynamic Aeroelastic Analysis 153 - Non-Linear static coupled with heat transfer 159 - Nonlinear Transient coupled with Heat transfer 187 - Dynamic Design Analysis Method 200 - Design Optimization and Sensitivity analysis 400 - Non-Linear Static and Dynamic (implicit) (MSC.NASTRAN native, supersedes 106, 129, 153 and 159 - part of MSC.NASTRAN) 401 - Non-Linear Static, Dynamic, arc length, modal, etc. (Simcenter Nastran, formerly NX Nastran) 402 - Non-Linear Static and Dynamic (implicit) (SAMCEF based for NX.NASTRAN) 600 - Non-Linear Static and Dynamic (implicit) (front end to MSC.Marc - part of MSC.NASTRAN) 601 - Implicit Non-Linear (ADINA for NX Nastran, will no longer be available in NX NASTRAN after 2020) 700 - Explicit Non-Linear (LS Dyna plus MSC.Dytran - part of MSC.NASTRAN) 701 - Explicit Non-Linear (ADINA for NX Nastran, will no longer be available in NX NASTRAN after 2020)

Associated software NASTRAN is primarily a solver for finite element analysis. It does not have functionality that allows for graphically building a model or meshing. All input and output to the program is in the form of text files. However, multiple software vendors market pre- and post-processors designed to simplify building a finite element model and analyzing the results. These software tools include functionality to import and simplify CAD geometry, mesh with finite elements, and apply loads and restraints. The tools allow the user to submit an analysis to NASTRAN, and import the results and show them graphically. In addition to pre- and post-processing capabilities, several Nastran vendors have integrated more advanced nonlinear capabilities into their Nastran products.

NASTRAN options The following software options, based on NASTRAN original source code are available:

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Nastran

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Nastran claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Nastran before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Nastran ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Nastran

In research: Nastran appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Nastran in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Nastran is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Aerospace engineering software, Computer-aided design software, Finite element software, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Nastran outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Nastran in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Nastran means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Nastran out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Nastran in simple terms?

Why does Nastran matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Nastran?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Nastran.