Our rapid prototype of damaged systems project seeks to provide a technology for allowing engineers to build demonstration prototypes of damaged products from analysis post-processing data. Most commercial finite element programs do not have a capability to construct deformed geometry at the conclusion of an analysis simulation. It is therefore not presently possible to build prototypes of predicted states of a product as the result of being subjected to simulated adverse environments. Our approach is to reverse engineer a description of a deformed finite element mesh into a stereolithography format for prototyping using a Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) machine. This stereolithography file can be generated from deformed surface node information as well as from a reconstructed surface defined by inspection data. We are developing software to allow users to represent a part or assembly in a deformed condition. The damaged part can then be manufactured using the SLS process for visualization and assessment purposes. The resulting representation can also be used to create simulated X-rays of a damaged or deformed configuration for comparison with experimental test results or field data. This allows engineers to benchmark their analysis methods and provide increased understanding of analysis results through enhanced visualization. The process of reverse engineering `in-use` or damaged products allows for a more refined inspection and comparison of imperfect parts. It addresses the issue of whether or not a part will still work when subjected to certain environments or scenarios. Answers to this question can be found using our model reconstruction technique that represents an `as- built` engineering model configuration. An additional feature of this reverse engineering process is product benchmarking and closer engineer/manufacturer interactions
