A client's new clutch shaft design which required a shaft speed of 3,600 rpm had some problems with oil flow in the muff groove, due to the increased rotational speed and associated centripetal forces acting on the oil. The client wished to reduce the muff groove diameter from 11.5” to 11” to resolve the oil flow problem.  Before implementing this design modification, a finite element analysis of the generated stresses was requested.  The results showed that the smaller muff groove diameter would be fit for purpose.

The analysis on the left shows the Von-Mises stress distribution in a clamp assembly designed for a fatigue test rig. The analysis uses contact logic and bolted connectors to accurately predict the stress distribution. The figure shows a cross section through the assembly enabling the client to visualise the stresses around the contact and bolt holes.

The example below shows a contact analysis for a steel roller in point contact with a softer aluminium foundation. The left hand section shows Von-Mises stress whilst the right hand plots Maximum Principal Stress. It is important to present the correct visual and numerical output from analysis work; subsequently our highly skilled FE analysts must have strong engineering backgrounds.

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DC White and Partners pride themselves on being able to adapt to fulfil the clients needs and can analyse structures using beams, shells and solid elements. Our extensive FE packages allow us to perform

• Static
• Frequency
• Buckling
• Thermal
• Non-Linear

This is by no means a conclusive list, if you think you many benefit from our services please contact us and we guarantee a prompt and economic service.