Title: Structural durability design optimisation and its reliability assessment

Authors: Byeng D. Youn, Kyung K. Choi, Jun Tang

Addresses: Center for Computer-Aided Design and Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, College of Engineering, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52241, USA. ' Center for Computer-Aided Design and Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, College of Engineering, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52241, USA. ' Center for Computer-Aided Design and Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, College of Engineering, The University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52241, USA

Abstract: Mechanical fatigue subject to external and inertia transient loads in the service life of mechanical systems often leads to structural failure due to accumulated damage. A structural durability analysis that predicts the fatigue life of mechanical components subject to dynamic stresses and strains is a computer-intensive, multidisciplinary simulation process, since it requires the integration of several computer-aided engineering tools and large amounts of data communication and computation. Uncertainties in geometric dimensions result in the indeterministic fatigue life of a mechanical component. Uncertainty propagation to structural fatigue under transient dynamic loading is not only numerically complicated but also extremely expensive. It is, therefore, a challenge to develop a durability-based design-optimisation process and reliability analysis to ascertain whether the optimal design is reliable. The objective of this paper is to develop an integrated CAD-based computer-aided engineering process to effectively carry out design optimisation for structural durability, yielding a manufacturable, durable, and cost-effective product. In addition, a reliability analysis is executed to assess the reliability of the deterministic optimal design.

Keywords: sizing and shape design; design optimisation; structural durability; fatigue life; multibody dynamics; reliability analysis; design sensitivity analysis; mechanical fatigue; dynamic loading; simulation; CAD; CAE.

DOI: 10.1504/IJPD.2005.005948

International Journal of Product Development, 2005 Vol.1 No.3/4, pp.383 - 401

Published online: 03 Jan 2005 *

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