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| Image taken from www.grabcad.com |
This component is a jet engine bracket. It's made of titanium (Ti-6Al-4V) and the new design will be manufactured using a 3D printer. Yes, you read it right! 3D printing nowadays is capable of printing metals.
The winner of the challenge will be rewarded $8,000.
The bracket will have to withstand the following loading cases:
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| Image taken from www.grabcad.com |
The bracket is fixed with 4 bolts (interfaces 2 to 5) and the loads are applied by means of a pin (interface 1).
In my opinion, the best way to solve this problem is by doing a topology optimization. Why? Because a topology optimization will give you the lightest component that can withstand those loading cases.
I downloaded the bracket to be optimized and did a Finite Element Analysis. I wanted to know the stress level of the component before any weight reduction was carried out.
The maximum von Mises stress (of all loading cases) was around 530 MPa and was located at the pin hole. Considering a yield strength of 900 MPa for this titanium alloy and a Factor of Safety of 1.5, a maximum von Mises stress of 600 MPa shouldn't be surpassed. That means that there was still some room for material removal.
I used OptiStruct to perform the topology optimization. I took into account the 4 loading cases.
The objective of the optimization was to maximize the stiffness of the bracket and as constraint I chose a volume reduction of 60 %. The result was:
I exported the result to a CAD program and made the final design of the optimized bracket:
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| STL file imported to CAD |
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| Final Design in CAD |
After a Finite Element Analysis of the new bracket (for all the loading cases) I obtained a maximum von Mises stress of 585 MPa, which is under the limit of 600 MPa. The maximum was also located at the pin hole.
The results are AMAZING:
- 60 % weight reduction (from 2 kg to 800 g)
- Only 10 % increase in maximum von Mises stress (from 530 to 585 MPa). Stress under 600 MPa and therefore Factor of Safety over 1.5
In conclusion, topology optimization is a very powerful tool, which combined with 3D printing can lead to super-lightweight and super-strong components like the bracket of the challenge.
Lighter planes need less fuel. And fuel is very expensive. So this technology could really make your flight tickets cheaper! And you will fly as safe as always!
Furthermore, the benefits of producing less CO2 and pollutants will benefit the whole planet!
So, will I win the challenge?
NOTE
You can see the whole GE Challenge here:
