SIMULIA Resource Center

This paper presents an automated Weld & Adhesive Optimization process developed at FORD to improve vehicle structural performance using a unique parametric technique developed by DEP, Inc. Variables include weld pitch and its alternative forms such as number of welds in a given weld line and % change to the weld count, type of welds, layers of adhesive bonds and adhesive bond dimensions. This process was implemented successfully on a passenger car currently in production with the primary objective to increase modal frequency separation between body-in-prime bending and torsional modes while maintaining the current number of total welds in BIP structure.

Customer Papers

Numerically simulating high speed ice or hail impact is challenging because of the extreme deformation, fragmentation, contact, and material model complexity. In this Technology Brief we demonstrate how the Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics functionality in Abaqus/Explicit can be used to analyze impact. Favorable comparison with experimental data will be shown.

Tech Notes

In the research the most important problem is to determine kinematic parameters of the ‘soil-structure’ system through the use of the following methods from SIMULIA(ABAQUS): direct integration method, modal method and advanced modal method (SIM-architecture), where projected damping matrix is considered as completely filled. This paper offers theoretical description of the above-mentioned methods, their advantages and disadvantages, and the comparative analysis of their results for the schematic model of the ‘soil-structure’ system. Besides here one can find results of the calculation for a typical NPP building.

Customer Papers

The manufacture of continuous fiber-reinforced composite parts often involves a designbuild-test methodology which can be expensive and time-consuming. A predictive design tool, such as the finite element method, is valuable to assist in understanding the relationship between the composite processing conditions and part quality, thus reducing the dependence on the designbuild-test methodology. The ability of the design tool to predict part quality based on manufacturing process parameters is dependent upon the mechanical behavior of the fabric reinforcements, which includes the in-plane shearing and tensile behaviors, bending stiffness and friction between contacting surfaces during the manufacturing process.

Customer Papers

Defects may be introduced in metal pipelines during construction, repair, or by accident. A common example ia a gouge from a backhoe bucket or other heavy equipment. At the site of a local defect operating stresses may become sufficiently concentrated to induce plastic deformation and material damage, possibly resulting in eventual failure of the pipeline.

Tech Notes

Silvestre Pinho, a senior lecturer in AeroStructures at Imperial College London, Department of Aeronautics, was the recent winner of the 2010 Albert Cardon Award for “Best Under 35-Years-Old European Researcher in Composite Materials,” given once every two years by the European Community in Composite Materials. To those who have met him, it’s evident that Pinho brings enthusiasm and innovative methods to his research.

Customer Papers

he main functions of a rubber bushing are basically to join the elements between rigid structures in the vehicles, isolate vibrations through to the chassis and avoid the transmission of noise. Due to the increasing interest of multibody simulations of complete vehicles or subsystems, it is important to develop and effective models to represent the static stiffness of these rubber bushings. During the vehicle development process, shape optimization of rubber products is also need to have desired stiffness curves. The objective of this study is to optimize rubber bushings to meet the stiffness curve requirements. A Fortran code has been developed to find the optimum shape parameters of 3D bushing models using differential evolution algorithm.

Customer Papers

The strength of laminated fiber-reinforced composite materials depends on the combination of the orientations of the stacked plies with respect to the applied loads and the state of the bonding between adjacent plies. Prior work has focused on developing forming simulations using Abaqus to track fiber orientations as a stack of fabric plies conforms to the shape of a mold. Knowing the final fiber orientations, cured composite properties can be defined to model the behavior of a resin-infused solid structural composite part. In this paper, a failure criterion and damage properties are investigated to model delaminations in composite parts. Delaminations due to Mode I failure are studied by testing unidirectional coupon specimens.

Customer Papers

The reliability of a gas or steam turbine is strongly dependent on the blade structural design. It efforts to raise the efficiency of a turbine increase the severity of the temperature and pressure operating conditions, then greater structural demands will be imposed on the blade. Improvments iin both turbine reliability and efficiency will therefore require better materials, analysis tools, and optimization methods.

Tech Notes

Huntington Ingalls Industries – Ingalls Shipbuilding (HII) is required to perform several different types of structural shock and vibration analyses under the terms of US Navy shipbuilding contracts. Some of these required analyses include whipping, longitudinal strength, linearized stress, pipe shock test, bolt stress, equipment foundation, pipe hanger stress, and ship weight analysis. Historically, these analyses were run interactively by Ingalls Shipbuilding (i.e., without the benefit of Simulation Automation). The first section of this paper presents an overview of some of the ship structural analyses, the simulation automation Isight models created, and a summary of the predicted man-hour reductions. The second section of the paper discusses how Isight is predicted to enable meeting schedule demands.

Customer Papers

Poisson’s ratio effects, to a large extent, control the thermal expansion characteristics of angle-ply laminates. It is possible to design laminates, that have been manufactured from some highly orthotropic laminae, to exhibit a zero coefficient of expansion along one of its directions, even though none of the expansion coefficients of the laminae themselves are negative. It is often mistakenly believed that at least one of the expansion coefficients has to be negative in order for this effect to be achieved. However, it is the internal coupling of the individual expansion coefficients via the very high laminate Poisson’s ratio that actually enables this. The paper illustrates the effect via a simple Abaqus model and in so doing graphically cements the idea in the minds of the FEM analyst.

Customer Papers

ABB Turbochargers are required to fulfill the highest demands in terms of cost, reliability, performance and turbocharging efficiency, leading to the application of continuous improvement processes for all turbocharger components. The thrust bearing, for example, has to carry the whole axial force of the rotor with only minimal deformation of the collar surface over the turbocharger’s complete operating range. Moreover, requirements for mechanical integrity as well as limitations on installation space represent a set of constraints and targets that make the optimization of this component challenging – and an interesting benchmark for automatic optimization with Isight. This paper describes the parameter-based geometrical optimization of a thrust collar bearing.

Customer Papers