Major Projects

Mustard Seed Software, LLC has been privileged to participate in both large commercially-released applications and smaller in-house research-grade software projects. Almost all the software from past efforts is still in daily use, affirming the robustness of our lab-to-marketplace engineering methodology.

Here is a selection of the more visible projects we've worked on.

Visualize Physics — Wave

• Visualize Physics — Wave is an open-source, multi-platform "virtual laboratory" for experimentation with wave interference in 3-D. Developed for the NVIDIA Foundation, it is targeted for use in the classroom by middle- and high-school science students. Written in C++, it combines Qt, OpenSceneGraph, and mesh deformation via OpenGL Shader Language into a robust, easy-to-use simulation and visualization package for exploring real-world wave phenomena. As an open-source project, the source code and latest binaries are available for download on the project website. Try it out!

TAPS

• Transient Analysis Pulsation Solver (TAPS) is a full Navier Stokes time-domain flow solver developed by Southwest Research Institute to model fluid flow in complex manifold and piping systems. Mustard Seed Software, LLC developed an extensible and configurable user interface for the solver, enabling analysts the ability to construct complex pipeline networks graphically. Engineers can add new network elements can be added the the application via configuration files as new solutions are defined in the solver, keeping application viability high throughout its lifecycle.

DARWIN™

• Design Assessment of Reliability With INspection (DARWIN™)^* is a probabilistic damage tolerance program for engine rotors. Developed with Southwest Research Institute in collaboration with four major gas turbine engine manufacturers, DARWIN™ predicts the fracture risk of components with undetected material anomalies or surface damage, and quantifies the influence of in-service inspection on risk reduction. DARWIN™ integrates component input variables (material properties, finite element stresses, surface damage, anomaly data), inspection input variables (probability of anomaly detection, inspection schedules), fracture mechanics, and probabilistic concepts to predict the risk of fracture with and without inspection. DARWIN™ provides the tools for users to visually generate input parameters (including 2D and 3D rotor geometries), execute the solver, and view the results through a comprehensive set of figures, charts, and reports. DARWIN™ won an R&D 100 award in 2000.

DARWIN™: Fleet Risk Assessment

• DARWIN's Fleet Risk Assessment Tool extends the functionality of DARWIN™ to allow risk analysis on entire fleets of gas turbine engine-powered machines. The Fleet Risk Assessment Tool calculates fleet risk based on pre-existing DARWIN™ analyses of individual engine rotors. Users define fleets and subfleets by numbers of machines, engines, and disks, assign DARWIN™ rotor results for individual components, and specify operational parameters such as cycles and cycles per month. The Fleet Risk Assessment Tool then extrapolates the rotor results over the user-defined fleet and presents the calculated risk in a set of visually-intuitive charts and tables.

NESSUS™

• Numerical Evaluation of Stochastic Structures under Stress (NESSUS™)^* by Southwest Research Institute is a general-purpose tool for computing the probabilistic response or reliability of engineered systems. NESSUS™ can be used to simulate uncertainties in loads, geometry, material behavior, and other user-defined random variables to predict the probabilistic response, reliability, and probabilistic sensitivity measures of engineered systems. The overarching goal of NESSUS™ is to enable designers to efficiently and accurately account for uncertainties as they might affect structural reliability and risk assessment. Mustard Seed Software, LLC developed the visual tools for users to define a model, random variables, and functional relationships, understand deterministic behaviors through parameter variation studies, perform a probabilistic analysis, and view the results. NESSUS™ has been used to predict the reliability and probabilistic response for a wide range of problems, including aerospace component performance, vehicles under certain crash conditions, explosive blast containment vessels, and human spines subjected to impact. NESSUS™ won an R&D 100 award in 2005.

NESSUS™: Geometric Uncertainty Modeling

• Mustard Seed Software, LLC developed a capability for the NESSUS™ probabilistic analysis tool for visually mapping random variables to features in CAD/FEM geometries. The tool provides 3-D visualization of the finite element model, filtering for model simplification, feature selection tools, and support for Cartesian and cylindrical displacements. The method for mapping displacement vectors to FEM nodes has been submitted for patent approval (Application No. 20100082305).

Perception Toolkit

• The Perception Toolkit provides a foundation for running psychological experiments requiring the presentation of audio and/or visual stimuli and recording participant responses. The Perception Toolkit is designed to facilitate randomized controlled trials over a range of permutations to the stimuli in a dimension of interest, as controlled by the experimenter. Mustard Seed Software, LLC developed the toolkit for the Kubovy Perception Lab at the University of Virginia to aid in study of auditory perceptual organization, visual perceptual organization, and sensory integration.

Proprietary Projects

• Protecting your intellectual property is our top priority. As such, some of our greatest contributions must remain unpublished and anonymous. Enhancing the effectiveness of a technology doesn't always mean it makes it out of the laboratory! Suffice it to say, we've been privileged to make contributions to other engineering fields, which include fluid flow engineering, bio-medical engineering, and non-desctructive evaluation. Our broad engineering background affords us the ability to apply tried-and-true software engineering methods to a diverse range of technical challenges.

Awards

Mustard Seed Software, LLC is honored to be a co-recipient of two R&D 100 awards. Established in 1963, the R&D 100 awards identify the 100 most revolutionary and significant technologies newly introduced to the marketplace, and have been dubbed the "Oscars of Invention".

R&D 100: 2005

• Simeon H.K. Fitch was a collaborator on NESSUS™ 8.2, a general-purpose program codeveloped with the Southwest Research Institute, Los Alamos National Laboratory, and NASA Glenn Research Center. NESSUS 8.2 simulates variations and uncertainties in loads, geometry, material behavior and other user-defined inputs to compute probability of failure and probabilistic sensitivity measures of engineered and natural systems. The software has been successfully applied to a diverse range of problems in aerospace, gas turbine engines, biomechanics, pipelines, geomechanics, automotive systems, defense, weaponry and infrastructure. This project received an R&D 100 award in 2005.

R&D 100: 2000

• Simeon H.K. Fitch worked with the Southwest Research Institute on a software development project designed to improve safety analysis for commercial jet engine designs. The team developed DARWIN™, a software product that provides engine manufacturers with a new reliability analysis tool. This project received an R&D 100 award in 2000.

Publications