Heavy equipment durability and structural integrity
With machines running in some of the harshest environments in the world, heavy equipment is arguably the most demanding type of vehicle to design from the perspectives of structural integrity and durability.
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Durability testing for heavy equipment
Although simulation is a way to virtually validate the product’s design and lifetime, physical testing plays a critical role in understanding real-life loads. Durability testing in the context of field data evaluations consists of elements such as data acquisition hardware, data acquisition software and data analysis software.
Simcenter’s data acquisition
Acquiring data in the field presents a number of challenges to heavy equipment OEMs. The solution is an advanced data acquisition system that is highly efficient and has been optimized to make the lives of engineers and operators easier. Once data acquisition hardware systems have been set up using Simcenter SCADAS RS, personal computer-based software solutions – such as Simcenter Testlab, a complete and integrated solution for test-based engineering – can be connected to the hardware. Flexible system access via the Simcenter RS Recorder App allows the operator to acquire and upload the data using any device such as a PC, tablet or mobile phone – all on a wireless mode. Such a smart operating system automatically manages itself, freeing the operator to concentrate on driving the machine.
CAE simulation for durability prediction
Structural analysis is the simulation starting point. When a component assembly is being tested, the best 3D simulation solutions associate the computer-aided design (CAD) and CAE tools. Simulation for testing can be used to perform virtual testing – conducting tests that are too difficult to do in a physical scenario as is common with heavy equipment. Siemens Simcenter 3D offers heavy equipment manufacturers a comprehensive fully-integrated CAE solution for 3D simulation.