NASTRAN

NASTRAN
Name	NASTRAN
Developer	NASA; MSC Software; The NASTRAN Users' Group; various vendors
Released	1960s
Latest release version	multiple vendor-specific releases
Programming language	Fortran; C; C++
Operating system	UNIX; Linux; Microsoft Windows; VMS
Platform	Mainframe; Workstation; Personal computer
License	Commercial; Academic; Open-source derivatives

NASTRAN NASTRAN is a family of finite element analysis (FEA) structural analysis programs originally developed for aerospace engineering that expanded into automotive, civil, and industrial applications. It provided a standardized solver architecture for linear and nonlinear static, dynamic, and thermal problems used by organizations such as NASA, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and Rolls-Royce. The software lineage influenced standards adopted by SAE International, ASME, and academic research at institutions like MIT, Stanford University, and University of Cambridge.

History

Development began under contract to NASA during the 1960s involving teams at NASA Langley Research Center and contractors associated with Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corporation and Douglas Aircraft Company. Early milestones paralleled computing advances at IBM and UNIVAC mainframes and drew on libraries from researchers at Princeton University and Cornell University. Commercialization in the 1970s saw vendors such as MSC Software and Computervision bring versions to market, while aerospace primes including Northrop Grumman and General Dynamics integrated the solver into design chains used for programs like Apollo derivatives and later Space Shuttle analysis. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, regulatory and standards bodies such as Federal Aviation Administration and European Aviation Safety Agency influenced verification practices, and academic work at California Institute of Technology and Imperial College London extended element formulations. Mergers and acquisitions led to stewardship by firms including Siemens and independent groups such as The NASTRAN Users' Group.

Architecture and Features

The solver architecture is modular, separating preprocessing, element library, equation solver, and postprocessing—concepts also embodied in software from ANSYS and Abaqus. Core features include linear static analysis, normal modes, transient dynamic analysis, steady and unsteady aeroelastic coupling used by Airbus and Sikorsky, and nonlinear material and contact capabilities employed by General Motors and Ferrari. Numerical methods reference work by mathematicians at Courant Institute and algorithms from the Numerical Recipes lineage, with sparse matrix solvers and iterative Krylov techniques influenced by research at Argonne National Laboratory and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Thermal conduction, thermomechanical coupling, and frequency response analyses interoperate with CAD systems from Dassault Systèmes and PTC using neutral interface philosophies similar to STEP and IGES.

Applications

NASTRAN-family solvers are used for aircraft structural sizing in programs at Boeing and Airbus, rotorcraft vibration studies at Bell Helicopter, turbine blade analysis at Rolls-Royce and General Electric, and crashworthiness simulations for Ford and Toyota. Civil applications include bridge and high-rise structural modeling employed by firms collaborating with Arup and projects like Crossrail. Spacecraft structural dynamics and launch vehicle design reference use by SpaceX contractors and legacy projects at Jet Propulsion Laboratory. In academia, laboratories at University of Michigan, Stanford University, and Georgia Institute of Technology use the software for research on composite structures and multidisciplinary design optimization influenced by groups at MIT and Caltech.

File Formats and Input/Output

Input decks are traditionally card-image style bulk data and executive control sections compatible with historical mainframe practices and modern pre/postprocessors from MSC Software, Siemens PLM Software, and Hexagon AB. Common data includes element definitions, material properties, loads, boundary conditions, and coordinate systems—paradigms shared with tools from Altair Engineering and ESI Group. Output includes modal summaries, displacement and stress tables, and restart files consumed by visualization tools such as HyperWorks, ParaView, and Tecplot. Interoperability follows exchange approaches used by STEP and JT standards, enabling pipelines with CAD systems from SolidWorks and CATIA.

Implementations and Vendors

Commercial implementations were produced by MSC Software, Siemens (after acquisition of UGS assets), NEi Software (later acquired by NEi Nastran-line vendors), MSC Nastran, and specialty integrators such as Altair Engineering which offer solvers and optimization tools. Open-source and academic derivatives and converters appear in projects at NASA research labs and university repositories. Consulting and support come from engineering firms like Jacobs Engineering and Booz Allen Hamilton which historically provided analysis services for programs at Lockheed Martin and Raytheon.

Validation and Benchmarking

Validation suites reference benchmark problems standardized by industry groups such as The NASTRAN Users' Group and certification processes used by Federal Aviation Administration for aircraft structural analyses on programs like Boeing 747 derivatives and Airbus A320 families. Benchmark comparisons involve solvers from ANSYS, Abaqus, LS-DYNA, and numerical libraries developed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Sandia National Laboratories. Round-robin studies conducted at universities including Northwestern University and institutes like Fraunhofer Society evaluate element formulations, contact algorithms, and parallel scalability on hardware from Intel and NVIDIA.

Category:Finite element software