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ProFES was developed for the turbine engine
industry but is applicable to any mechanical design problem.
Representatives from Pratt and Whitney, GE, Allison, Ansys, Inc.,
and GM reviewed software specifications. As part of the development
process ARA has also obtained technical input from the Air Force,
Vanderbilt and Wright State Universities.
"GE Aircraft Engines
began integrating probabilistic fracture mechanics methods into its
design practices a number of years ago…. I've been impressed with
ARA’s plan for the continued development of ProFES and the
capabilities demonstrated…" (Frank Sagendorph, GE Aircraft Engines)
Several of the industry leaders are currently
serving as test sites for future releases of the ProFES system.
"...we believe that
ProFES will be a valuable tool for our engineers at Allison" (Andrew
C. Pickard, Allison Engine Company)
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The figure shows a turbine engine disk
model imported into the ProFES application. This axisymmetric
FEM with over 4000 nodes was provided by Pratt & Whitney. Loads
and material properties were specified as uncertain and the
probability distribution on fatigue life was computed using
ProFES' external function call capabilities.
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