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News Story
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| Bibby Transmissions Group - Turbomachinery Coupling - 07.07.2008
Bibby Transmissions Group a long term Wilde FEA customer and an ANSYS Design Space software user, has been a world leader for many years in the design and manufacture of couplings for use in industrial markets. Their high-speed disc couplings, designed by their TurboFlex division, have been a popular choice for transmission couplings amongst the power, chemical, steel and water treatment industries.
Engineers at Bibby found that with linear analysis assumptions material yielding occurred around clearance holes where the flexible coupling was mounted and also when the coupling was rotating near its operating speed. Knowing that they were not capturing material behaviours related to contact and preloading conditions, engineers at Bibby felt a need to model the material plasticity and calculate plastic strains and deflection. This analysis was undertaken to ensure that the loading-induced plasticity was localised and did not induce global failure for the coupling. The simulation required non-linear modelling of contact in which the couplings used an interface fit, material behaviour for the hub and spacer, and bolt preloading for the couplings.
Bibby engineers successfully set up this model with the ANSYS Workbench Simulation tool with the previously mentioned non-linearities and were able to accurately predict the observed behaviour. In addition, they were also able to identify operating speed, not torque as had been previously believed, as the dominant factor that influenced the observed plastic deformation. This valuable information wouldn't have been obtained by physical testing alone.
Speaking of ANSYS Workbench, Ron Cooper, Technical Director, Bibby Transmission, UK, states:
Through the ANSYS Workbench platform we have a tool which allows us to increase the performance of our products. Drastic reductions in weights and inertia of the couplings have been achieved without compromising the strength of the unit. Lateral vibration of couplings is now being estimated to a level of confidence previously unattainable without days of computation and cost.
Thanks to ANSYS and Bibby Transmission for use of this article.
If you any questions, regarding this article, please do not hesitate to call us on 0161 474 7479 or email info@wildefea.co.uk
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