VISTAGY Inc. (Waltham, Mass., USA) on Jan. 7 announced a partnership with the National Institute for Aviation Research (NIAR) at Wichita State University, one of the nation's leading aerospace research institutions. NIAR's mission is to provide research, transfer technology and enhance education for the purpose of advancing the aviation industry.

NIAR, a non-profit institution funded primarily by industry and federal contracts, will use VISTAGY's FiberSIM composites engineering software in its Composites and Advanced Materials Laboratory to understand the potential for and limitations of composites in the aviation industry. Researchers and technicians in the NIAR Composites Lab perform layup and bonding operations and conduct research programs to understand the effects of heat, moisture, contamination and repairs on advanced materials. The results will be used by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) as well as the institute's clients.

"VISTAGY's role as one of the leading composites engineering firms and its extensive experience in the aerospace industry will add a lot to our research and training efforts," said Dr. John Tomblin, executive director of NIAR. "As aerospace materials continue to change in the future, FiberSIM will enable our research engineers, clients and students to fully understand how best to apply composites in an aerospace environment."

"We're pleased to partner with an organization that is at the forefront of finding solutions to the world's most challenging aviation problems," said Steve Peck, VISTAGY's director of product and market strategy for aerostructures. "This relationship will provide a great opportunity for us to advance composites technologies within the institution's participating companies as well as educate engineering students who will be working in the industry in the not-too-distant future."