NASA Langley Research Center, Bid Distribution Office, MS 126, Hampton, Virginia 23681-0001

D -- LEASE AND MAINTENANCE OF MSC/NASTRAN SOFTWARE POC NASA Langley Research Center, Industry Assistance Office, Mail Stop 144, Hampton, Virginia 23681-0001. Comments are sought in response to the intent of the NASA Langley Research Center to pursue a 2-year extension of a site license existent at the Center for the lease of a general purpose finite-element software system. The software called MSC/NASTRAN version 69 is a NASTRAN finite-element code marketed by the MacNeal-Schwendler Corporation. The finite-element code provides the salient features listed below. The software provides an aeroelastic and flutter analysis, design sensitivity and structural optimization, and superelement capability. The software with superelement capability operates on approximately 60 computer workstations including the following computers: SGI with the IRIX operating system, SUN with the SUNOS operating system, DEC with the VMS and ULTRIX operating systems, IBM with the AIX operating system, and HP with the HP-UX operating system. The site license provides for unlimited use on all workstations and no limitation as to the number of workstations with the software installed. Thesoftware provides a macro instruction language, DMAP, which facilitates and simplifies the development of application specific and custom solutions. This language is available to users so that they may develop their own solution sequences to solve particular application problems and may use existing DMAP sequences created previously at the Center. The software contains a set of predefined solutions written in the DMAP language that perform standard finite-element solutions to a wide variety of analysis problems. The solution sequences are available to perform linear static, normal modes, buckling, complex eigenvalue, frequency and random response, steady-state and transient heat transfer, aerodynamic flutter, aeroelastic, implicit non-linear, modal and direct transient, and design sensitivity/optimization analyses. A new flutter method, designated PKNL (PK No Looping), is available to augment the current K, KE, and PK methods. Linear solution sequences are alterable by the user in order to modify and customize solution sequences to the user's requirements. Further, the vendor provides libraries of RFALTERS (rigid format alterations) which the vendor has created to perform specialized tasks. These RFALTERS are callable by the users for inclusion in their analysis solutions. An example would be the provision in the static analysis for stress data recovery and the evaluation of failure indices for the individual plies of laminated composites. The software provides singularity suppression capability, automatic resequencing of internal degrees of freedom to minimize solution times, substructuring capability, automatic dynamic reduction capabilities including the Guyan reduction, a variety of user selectable eigenvalue extraction methods including the Inverse Power, the Givens, the Modified Givens, the Hessenberg, the Householder and the Lanczos methods, component mode synthesis capability where the user is allowed to input the substructures directly with modal parameters and static test data, cyclic, reflective, rotational and axial symmetry capability allowing users to exploit the structural symmetry of a finite-element model to reduce model preparation and processing time, and the ability to analyze laminated composite materials by individual layer. Stress discontinuity calculations are available for plate and solid elements to identify areas of a model which could benefit from mesh refinement. The software is capable of solving problems with degrees of freedom limited by machine capacity only and offers fully automatic restart capability for all solution sequences. The software provides an optional sparse matrix solver for linear statics, Lanczos eigenvalue extraction, frequency response, transient response and nonlinear analyses. The software provides an implicit nonlinear analysis of static and dynamic problems which includes capability to use both geometric and material nonlinear properties with one, two and three dimensional elements. The software provides an extensive library of elements. The library includes bar, beam, curved beam, curved pipe, curved shell, damping, fluid, heat transfer, interpolating constraint, linear strain, mass, stiffness, plate, shear panel, shell, rigid constraint, solid elements, gap, 2-D and 3-D crack tip, and aeroelastic elements. These elements, where applicable, have isotropic, orthotropic, anisotropic, and temperature-dependent material properties. The software also provides specialized elements including solid p-elements in linear dynamic solution sequences, shell and beam p-elements, and curve interface elements for global-local analysis. The software provides several types of applied loads for static, dynamic, and heat transfer analysis including concentrated force and moment, line, pressure, thermal, gravity, and centrifugal force loads, time-and frequency-dependent loads, displacement, velocity, and acceleration dependent loads, follower forces, convection, conduction, and radiation thermal loadings, and enforced displacements, velocities, and accelerations. The software accepts input from the standard user model files, INPUTT2 files, and INPUTT4 files. The software accepts input generated by pre-processing programs such as I-DEAS, PATRAN and other common pre-processing software packages. The software also generates output that is accessible for post-processing such as geometry, stresses, displacements, and mode shapes by other commercial programs such as I-DEAS and PATRAN. Files produced on one computer system are transferable to the other systems for further processing. Database utilities are available which allow databases to be compressed, archived, or transferred between machines. The vendor provides a complete set of hard copy documentation for each system and an extensive set of documentation on CD's. The vendor provides on site training courses covering basic information on the use of the software to perform linear static and normal modes analyses and specialized courses covering advanced topics such as superelement analysis, design sensitivity and optimization, and aeroelastic analysis. The vendor has provided courses available on video tape, suitable for individualized instruction, covering linear static analysis, dynamic and nonlinear analysis, design sensitivities and optimization, and DMAP procedures. The vendor provides users with technical support by telephone during normal business hours. The finite-element software is reliable and provides accurate solutions within the current state-of-the-art in engineering computations. To insure that results will be reliable and accurate, the vendor maintains an aggressive and well documented quality assurance program which controls and assures compliance with industry standard coding practices, design of user interfaces, accuracy of solutions, and accuracy of documentation. The vendor provides an error correction program and has a reporting procedure in place to inform users of possible errors in the software in a timely manner. This information is for planning purposes and is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government, norwill the Government pay for the information solicited. Respondents will not be notified of the results of the evaluation. Respondents deemed fully qualified will be considered in any resulting solicitation for the requirement. Firms responding should indicate whether they are a socially or economically disadvantaged business firm, an 8(a) firm, a small business, and/or woman-owned business. The Government reserves the right to consider a small or 8(a) set-aside based on responses hereto. All responses shall be submitted within 14 days from the date of publication of this announcement. In responding reference SS266. (0355)

Loren Data Corp. http://www.ld.com (SYN# 0033 19961226\D-0007.SOL)