Non-Linear Finite Element Analysis
Project Overview
A customer approached us wanting to structurally analyze a tank, consisting of a lid, body, and sealing mechanism. Our goal was to determine when the seal would start leaking and when the tank would fail.
What We Did
When you watch the video of the analysis, you will see a tank that is cylindrically uniform. We were able to conduct the axisymmetric analysis in 2D. By doing this, we were able to considerably increase the mesh density while decreasing the computing power and time. The bottom part in the video is the body of the tank with a sealing lip. The top part is the lid. The tank body and lid are made out of stainless steel, and the gasket material is silicone.
The goal of the analysis was to simulate clamping the lid and body with the seal in between, and then to pressurize the inside of the tank to see at what pressure the tank would start to leak. It was also important for the client to understand at what pressure the tank would fail, how it would fail, and what the structural limits were. Physical testing was then done to compare these results. The simulation results were within 0.5 psi of the results from the physical test. We were also able to determine the deflection of the lip of the bottom of the tank.
Why It Matters
We saved the customer time and money by being able to simulate this analysis. They were able to modify necessary features given the high confidence of the results instead of building and testing multiple tanks themselves.
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