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Smart designing with strength and stiffness calculations
Strenght calculations
Creating a nice visualization using familiar tools like the Finite Element Method (FEM) is something anyone can do. But how do you apply it effectively? Our design engineers are experts in the art of designing for strength and stiffness and performing efficient analyses. We often start with hand calculations to quickly make an initial estimate and determine the direction of the solution. This approach provides valuable insights even before complex analyses are necessary. Next, we use FEM to identify the weakest points in a structure, leading to targeted reinforcements and material savings. In this way, we combine fundamental knowledge with advanced techniques for the best results.
Why calculations pay off
The easiest approach to design is to skip calculations and simply over-dimension. Just make it thick enough, and it will hold. But, relative to what? In today’s world, where we must efficiently use resources, optimizing strength and stiffness to save material often pays off. Driven by both business cases and sustainability. One of the best sustainable solutions is, after all: ‘useless material’ (‘Reduce’ is the third step in the chain of the ‘6 R’s of sustainability: Refuse, Rethink, Reduce, Repair, Reuse, Recycle’).
Simulation and testing
The process begins with understanding how forces flow through a design and determining how to simulate them. This leads to identifying the maximum load on your product or component. The calculation’s assumptions must apply appropriate safety factors, and often there are specific product standards that also play a role. In addition to static and dynamic loads, long-term load effects can sometimes dominate—think of fatigue or creep.
Loadcases
A good stress analysis starts with defining the load cases. Which “load cases” represent the (worst-case) use or foreseeable misuse? In a more complex, assembled product where forces run through multiple components simultaneously, there is often not one determining load case but sometimes 10 or even more separate load cases.
It is then important to develop an understanding of how forces flow through the design for each load case. Only when the load path is known, you can determine how to simulate it and, importantly, verify your calculations.
The material stresses predicted by the simulation must be compared to the maximum allowable stresses, accounting for different safety factors. These maybe required by harmonized standards or self-imposed due to CE regulations.
Design safety factor
Where there are safety risks, calculations and designs must always be validated through a physical load test. Therefore, it can be smart to choose a “design safety factor” to improve the chances of achieving a first-time PASS.
In addition to stresses, deflection must also be assessed. A part that does not fail but becomes unusable or unsafe due to excessive deflection must equally be avoided.
Prototype testing
Based on the design, we then determine the maximum material stresses and start calculating. A static force calculation, which we often use, is a simplified version of reality that provides a lot of useful information. However, creating a truly representative force simulation is often too complex. Combining a simplified calculation model with physical prototype testing is essential for a pragmatic product development process. A prototype test validates the relationship between reality and simulation. By using both and calibrating them together, both your prototype test results and calculations become increasingly reliable, allowing you to make confident predictions about the final product.
Other insights
Other insights
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