Simulation for Miele
Sector: Consumer goods/durable goodsSpecialist field: Scalability of simulations, Structural mechanicsMiele, the world's leading supplier of premium domestic appliances, also uses plastic components in a number of constructionally uncritical areas on its high-quality washing machines. CADFEM used simulation to investigate the material parameters.
Summary
Task
Miele had CADFEM investigate whether the required material description and the associated material parameters can also be derived directly from a simulated component test.
Solution
Ansys Workbench and the integrated Ansys DesignXplorer were used to solve this problem.
Customer benefits
The high effort for experimental determination of material parameters can be reduced significantly with the workflow based on Ansys DesignXplorer.
Project Details
Task
Miele, the world's leading supplier of premium domestic appliances, uses plastic components in various places on its high-quality washing machines, even in areas where the design is not critical. Plastics are characterized under load by the fact that, in addition to plasticity, time-dependent effects such as creep and stress relaxation also occur. In order to describe the material behavior, elaborate tests on standardized tensile test specimens are usually required. Miele has taken a more cost-effective approach here and, in cooperation with CADFEM, has investigated whether the required material description and the associated material parameters can also be derived directly from the simulation of a component test.
Customer Benefit
The high effort required for experimental determination of material parameters can be reduced significantly with the workflow based on Ansys DesignXplorer. The resulting benefit is reflected in the following factors:
- Reduction of the cost and time required to determine the material parameters,
- Verification of material parameters,
- additional knowledge gained regarding the material behaviour.
Solution
Ansys Workbench and the integrated Ansys DesignXplorer were used to solve this task. The minimization of the force difference between test and simulation values formed the methodical basis. This optimization task was mastered in three separate solution steps, in each of which one material characteristic was dominant (elasticity, plasticity, creep). The workflow created by CADFEM and Miele enables the adjustment of the material parameters, whereby additional optimization potential can be identified for Miele.
Images: © Miele