Simulation is more than Software

Free Trial Version
0
Wishlist
0 0
Cart

Directcontact
EN
Containment simulation for a turbo vacuum pump
CADFEM supported Pfeiffer Vacuum GmbH in the simulation of a containment test for a very complex turbo vacuum pump operating at 31,000 rpm.

Effect of the impact of a pump rotor on the rest of the structure

Sector: Machinery and plant engineeringSpecialist field: Structural mechanics

Pfeiffer Vacuum GmbH is a manufacturer of a wide variety of high-quality vacuum pump systems. These are subject to strict quality and safety regulations. For a new very complex model, a containment test was performed using simulation software from Ansys.

Summary

Task

For the specific case of a turbopump running at close to 31000 rpm, a containment test was to be simulated. In tests of this type, it must be demonstrated that in the event of a failure inside the structure, the surrounding component will not be penetrated. However, the assembly is very complex, and thus hardly accessible for analytical calculations. Real tests had to be avoided because they are very expensive. Nevertheless, CADFEM was to find a simulation solution.

Solution

The preparation of the geometry as well as the meshing was implemented in Ansys Workbench. A pure hexahedral mesh with about 1.5 million elements was generated. The calculation of the containment test was performed with LS-DYNA.

Customer benefits

CADFEM succeeded in presenting a realistic simulation environment for the containment test. It is therefore possible to simulate even the most complex assemblies and physical processes. This reduces time-consuming and expensive real tests. Variant calculations can be used to make predictions about new materials or design changes in advance.

Project Details

Task

Pfeiffer Vacuum GmbH is a manufacturer of a wide variety of high-quality vacuum pump systems. These are subject to strict quality and safety regulations. For the specific case of a turbopump running at close to 31000 rpm, a containment test was to be simulated. In tests of this type, it must be demonstrated that in the event of a failure inside the structure, the surrounding component will not be penetrated. Particular attention was paid to the loads in the flange, as this is where the bolted connections were to be verified. Since the assembly is very complex and thus hardly accessible for analytical calculations, and since real tests are very expensive, the goal of this project was to create a meaningful simulation model. This model was to provide verification as well as a basis for testing material and design variations using simulation.


Customer Benefit

The ANSYS software package provides the user with efficient tools for geometry preparation, meshing, model preparation and calculation. It is therefore possible to simulate even the most complex assemblies and physical processes. This reduces time-consuming and expensive real tests. Variant calculations can be used to make predictions about new materials or design changes in advance.


Solution

The preparation of the geometry as well as the meshing was implemented in Ansys Workbench. A pure hexahedral mesh with about 1.5 million elements was generated. The calculation of the containment test was performed with LS-DYNA. Since both the calculation and the evaluation can be automated and since Ansys LS-DYNA offers very good parallelization of the simulation, variants can be created and calculated efficiently. Furthermore, a wide range of different material laws as well as failure criteria are available, so that a realistic material behavior can be represented.

Images: © Pfeiffer Vacuum GmbH


Head of Support

Related products and training offers