Case Study: OHB System AG cuts random vibration analysis from days to hours and streamlines satellite optical component development with Altair HyperWorks

HyperWorks and the Altair Partner Alliance Streamline Development Process of Optical Satellite Components at OHB System AG

OHB System AG, a leading European space company, faced the challenge of ensuring the structural safety and fatigue life of optical satellite components (for programs such as MTG and ENMAP) under complex random vibration loads during launch. To streamline random response and fatigue analysis, OHB used Altair’s HyperWorks suite and accessed the CAEfatigue VIBRATION (CFV) tool via the Altair Partner Alliance.

Altair’s solution combined HyperMesh and OptiStruct preprocessing/optimization with CFV post‑processing to compute random stresses from large FE transfer‑function files; a 6,500,000 DOF FEM model was analyzed overnight and subsequent post‑processing across 15 spectra took only hours. By using Altair tools and the APA licensing model, OHB System AG reduced random analysis time from days to hours, enabling more design variants, earlier refined prototypes, and measurable time savings in their development process.

OHB System AG

Ron Nienkemper

Structural Lead Engineer