Continue to Site

Eng-Tips is the largest engineering community on the Internet

Intelligent Work Forums for Engineering Professionals

  • Congratulations IDS on being selected by the Eng-Tips community for having the most helpful posts in the forums last week. Way to Go!

Guidelines on an analysis

Status
Not open for further replies.

skjoex

Structural
Jul 17, 2007
82
Hi

I need to verify a design of automobile lifting device (attached file 01.tif). I have never done such an analysis before and unfortunately I do not have any experience or someone to ask. So I ask YOU to help me with some guidelines.

As you can see there is a runner (diameter of roller bearings is 52mm, width is 18mm) able to move up and down inside of thin-walled beam (thickness of 5mm). Some questions:

1.: how to aplly loads ? First I applied loads in form of pressure on elements in contact region between rollers and wall of the beam. I guessed 18mm x 4mm for each roller as to be contact surface (results are shown on the rest of images)...then I realised that there is something like Hertz formula and this surfaces according to it have to be 18mm x 0.6mm only ! Which means incredible rise of local stresses in region.

2.: Type of analysis ? Since the beam is thin-walled I decided for geometrically and matierial non-linear solution with geometric imperfection included. First I performed linear analyse with prestress ON, then linear buckling analysis to get the first buckling shape and finally non-linear solution. I use shell181 with 8 plies.

Steel grade is S355 with yield stress 355MPa...I do not know what to do with these local stresses. Since they are so high I guess there still be a local plasticity through entire thickness of the plate even if I rise the thickness up to 10mm. Since there is movable runner I do not want to allow plasticity at all. I even do not know what to tell a customer. His design is totally wrong ? He is not going to be happy I guess...

Any help will be appreciated ! Possible advices how to impove the design of the beam itself as well !

With best regards
Lubo

PS.: sorry for my poor english.







 
Replies continue below

Recommended for you

I suggest hiring a consultant with the proper experience or finding some training classes in FEA that cover the particulars of your analysis. An automobile lifting device sounds like a fairly expensive piece of equipment and could be potentially dangerous if/when it fails.

Your English is easily understandable.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Part and Inventory Search

Sponsor