Case Study: Wilson Sporting Goods achieves accurate composite racquet simulation and faster design cycles with Altair

Implementing CAE into the Design Process for Composite Tennis Racquets at Wilson Sporting Goods

Wilson Sporting Goods' innovation arm, Wilson Labs, wanted to reduce design cycle time and add value to its composite tennis racquets by applying advanced simulation, automation and optimization techniques. To explore composites finite element analysis (FEA) without an initial software investment, Wilson partnered with Altair and its Altair ProductDesign team, using HyperWorks and OptiStruct to evaluate laminate lay-ups and virtual racquet behavior.

Altair ProductDesign built and validated finite element models in HyperWorks/OptiStruct, correlating simulation to physical tests and predicting mass, center of mass, dynamic (frequency) and static stiffness within 4% error (mass 3%, COM 2%, frequency 1%, static stiffness 4%). The Altair-led approach proved accurate, established virtual simulation as a faster design tool than manual methods, and positioned Wilson Sporting Goods to streamline development and speed products to market.

Wilson Sporting Goods

Bob Kapheim

Design Engineer