Applied finite element analysis
Bracket Structural Optimization
The goal of this report was to use the structural optimization feature within Ansys Workbench to assist with designing a bracket with minimized mass, fatigue damage under 1.0 and deformation under 1mm under a fully reversible load of 26,000N and 25,000 cycles.
Iterative Tower Design
The goal was to design a tower within a 5m x 5m x 20m volume. This tower must support a 36000kg mass at the top and withstand a 9000N horizontal wind force in addition to gravity. Ultimately, this design challenge demonstrated that triangular load bearing sections would provide the most stiffness while being the least mass expensive.
Modal and Harmonic Analysis of a Chimney
The goal of this report was to use the combination of modal, mode superposition harmonic, and time transient structural analyses to address the problem of a pressure wave striking a chimney. The maximum total displacement (absolute value in mm and to the nearest 10 mm)
of the chimney structure during the time transient analysis based on the pressure wave must be determined.
Fatigue Analysis of a Trailer Hitch
The goal of this report was to perform a fatigue analysis of a trailer hitch. There were 3 sub goals: A, perform a stress analysis on the 4 base load cases and converge the results to an accuracy of 5%; B, perform a fatigue analysis for the 4 configurations and identify any load cases not meeting the design requirement; C, propose design modifications that will result in an improved fatigue safety factor as compared the results in Part B.
Modeling Pipe Insulation Using Various Methods
The goal of this report was to determine the max temperature and heat loss of a cast iron pipe carrying steam under multiple insulation conditions (no insulation, insulation via modified convection coefficient, and insulation via physical insulation). Through these analyses, it became clear that modeling insulation using a modified convection coefficient leads to misleading results due to neglecting the increased surface area when insulation is added.
Critical Radius of Pipe Insulation
The goal of this report was to analyze a cast iron pipe carrying steam at steady state and transient. During steady state, the objective was to computationally determine the critical radius of the insulation and during transient analysis, the goal was to determine the temperature after 10 minutes and the time to reach steady state.
Cyclic Loading of a Valve
The goal of this report was to analyze a valve (with and without bracing) loaded with an internal cyclic pressure. The location and magnitude of the peak stress must be accurately determined to ensure the structural integrity of the valve and avoid fatigue failure.
Linear and Nonlinear Responses to Deformation Loading
The goal of this report was to calculate the factors of safety at the notch of the 4-point bend specimen configuration under a given load for both linear elastic and nonlinear elastic-plastic responses.