Project QUICKVIEW

Power Plant Building / CFdesign

Computational fluid dynamics study on dual, gas turbine co-generation power plant building. The building had strict external noise requirements and thus required that the building remained sealed through out the year. As such, the building was air conditioned via large air movers at the rear and on the roof. CFD studies allowed the efficient sizing of the air conditioners and provided accurate predictions of temperature profiles within the building. Another power plant building was also similarly modeled.

Industrial Transmission / Femap and
NX Nastran

Structural and modal analysis model of a large industrial transmission. The model had 3.2 million nodes and uses a broad array of NX Nastran elements. The analysis employed bolt preload and full contact between flanges and internal shaft/bearing points.

Respirator Mask / Femap and LS-DYNA

This project simulated the fit and function of a respirator mask. The silicone rubber mask was fitted onto a human head with contact pressures calculated using LS-DYNA. The transient air flow of the breathing pattern was then modeled using CFdesign.

Effort funded by the Department of Homeland Security Science and Technology Directorate.

Roof-top Air Handler / CFdesign

CFD study was done on a large roof-top mounted air handler system. Stringent flow requirements were imposed by the end-user (a large hospital in Ohio) to ensure that the HEPA filter would perform efficiently. The CFD model contained blowers, multiple filters, heaters, coolers and a complex air mixture. Results indicated that the design would meet all of the design requirements and was accepted by the end user and is in service today.

View the Pressure Buckling Simulation

Pressure Buckling / Femap and NX Nastran

American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) regulations requires that all manned submersibles have a minimum buckling strength of 2.0. The fallacy of this linear, Eulerian buckling approach is that it is typically very conservative and that the true buckling limit for a heavy reinforced structure can be much greater. Current Code agencies (ABS, DNV, API, FVMSS) are not accepting nonlinear buckling analysis as acceptable means to demonstrate buckling compliance. In recent work on a two-person deep-diving submersible, LS-DYNA was used to calculate the true buckling load limit for the hull. The design of the hull was done using the standard ABS Rules for Building and Classing of Underwater Vehicles, Systems and Hyperbaric Facilities provided an analytical buckling load limit of 2x. The LS-DYNA results showed that the ultimate buckling limit of the hull was around 3.5x the rated dive pressure. An animation of these buckling results is shown in the provided video. This submarine hull has been surveyed by the ABS and accepted. The submarine is currently under going sea trials.

Satellite Design / Femap and NX Nastran

Advanced satellite design for the USAF through their sub‐contractor Spaceworks. The model was built using Femap and analyzed using NX Nastran. Peak loads are experienced only during launch and this is simulated using a power‐spectral‐density (PSD) normal modes analysis. The model contains nearly 900,000 nodes and correlated within 5% to experimental results. It represented a “first” for the client to execute large models in a timely and accurate manner.

Nuclear Waste Vessel / Femap and NX Nastran

Large‐scale (300” diameter) nuclear waste processing vessels were modeled using Femap and analyzed using NX Nastran. This vessel and others were certified against ASME Section VIII, Div. 2 and the ASCE 4‐98 for Seismic Analysis of Nuclear‐Related Equipment. Our NQA‐1 engineering report on this vessel represented the first time that Bechtel had approved an external report for vessel acceptance at the Hanford WTP facility.

View an Impact Simulation

Submarine / Femap and NX Nastran

Eight passenger, deep‐diving (depth 1,200’) luxury submarine built with Femap and analyzed using NX Nastran. First human occupancy submersible certified by the American Bureau of Shipping via the finite element method.

View an Impact Simulation

Coffee Cup / Femap and LS-DYNA

Impact testing of consumer projects is quite common. However, virtual impact testing is just in its infancy for standard consumer products. This model was constructed from Solidworks geometry imported into Femap and then analyzed using LS‐DYNA. Simulation results showed definite regions for improvement and upon testing, the design passed with flying colors and can be found at your local Starbucks coffee shop!

Oil Drilling Winch / Femap and NX Nastran

High‐speed, high‐torque, 6,000 HP off‐shore oil drilling winch built with Femap and analyzed using NX Nastran. Passed DNV (Det Norske Veritas) certification with no problems while beating the client’s design weight requirement by 15%.

Heavy-duty Gearbox / Femap and LS-DYNA

1,100 Ton Top Drive Gearbox for off‐shore oil production modeled using Femap and solved with NX Nastran. The gearbox was certified under the American Petroleum Institute (API) and DNV Specifications. It was the first of its kind to pass complete load testing with no failure.

School Bus Seat / Femap and LS-DYNA

Bus seat analysis with the geometry imported from Unigraphics into Femap and then solved using LS‐DYNA. The model simulated the Federal Motor Vehicles Safety Standard for seat belt retention during a crash event. This was a new design for Navistar and incorporated the latest FMVSS requirement for seat belts. Numerical simulating greatly accelerated the testing program and shaved pounds of material off of the seat design.