Simulation on behalf of: Allianz Center for Technology

The Allianz Center for Technology (AZT) has been involved in damage investigation and prevention for over 80 years. The technical analysis of complex damage events or risk assessments requires comprehensive knowledge of a wide range of industrial sectors such as power generation, mechanical engineering and the consumer goods industry. For this reason, AZT cooperates with companies such as CADFEM, with specialzed knowledge and skills, in order to  to better evaluate existing damage cases with the help of numerical simulations.

For the case study, the analysis was carried out with little effort and the downtimes were minimized, while at the same time the safety of the plant was guaranteed. The simulations carried out by CADFEM on behalf of AZT allow a better damage analysis and risk assessment, because:

• with existing simplified calculation approaches, the basis for decisions can be found quickly,
• decisions can be made with more certainty and
• a deeper understanding of the operation of the machines, components and weak points is gained, which also serves to optimize the design, to estimate the service life and to minimize the operational risk

All in all, AZT is convinced that FE-simulation is a valuable tool for the assessment, evaluation and clarification of complex causes of damage and is therefore indispensable in many cases.

AZT uses the calculations carried out by CADFEM, in addition to laboratory tests, vibration diagnosis and non-destructive testing technology, but also for “what-if” checks, if particularly time-critical or complex situations exist. The application example shown here is an inductor rotor of a generator, which fell off its bearing bracket during revision work. For a safe recommissioning it was necessary to verify the correct, original position of the inductor cap. For this purpose, a conservative estimate of the equivalent loads (drop height, deceleration distance) was made and then a static analysis of the cap area was performed. This showed that no significant slippage and no serious deformation had occurred due to the fall.