Welcome to the latest Frewer Engineering newsletter.

In this edition, we are excited to announce our attendance at the ASME Turbo Expo in London from June 24th to 28th, presenting our research on a high-speed rotation rig. 

We are also proud to present our most recent research on ballistic modelling, adhesive modelling and rotating CFD.

ASME Turbo Expo June 24th to 28th

Frewer’s Expertise on Dynamic Structural Analysis

The assessment of transient events, such as a ballistic impact, often requires the use of explicit dynamic analysis to investigate the interaction between components under short duration yet highly energetic conditions. Such analysis demands the accurate representation of material failure and complex contact conditions to account for the changing state of the structure during impact. 

Engineers at Frewer have been using MSC Dytran, an explicit FEA code ideally suited for the analysis of transient events, to model the impact between fragments generated by a turbine blade loss failure and a multi-layered ballistic protection system. This analysis required the prediction of the perforation of each layer, requiring the use of material models that can accurately represent the post-failure properties of the steel layers, as well as the interaction between layers as they deform under the impact loads. 

The use of explicit FEA provides our customers with a cost-effective way to understand, derisk and protect their equipment, reducing the amount of physical testing required to substantiate highly dynamic events. In this scenario, our dynamic assessment led to the development of a protection system sufficient to capture the most energetic fragments generated by the postulated failure.

Process Improvement on CFD Analysis of a Rotating Turret

Rotating equipment mounted to ship decks is subject to significant wind and gust loading in high sea‑states. Such rotating equipment may take the form of spinning radar, antenna arrays, or other defence equipment.

Deck incoming wind-loading presents a challenge for maintaining an accurate rotational speed from the turret drive motor. In the advancing phase of the rotation, the motor will drive against the wind and tend to slow down, whereas, in the retreating phase, the motor will turn with the incoming wind and speed up, leading to unacceptable fluctuations in the rotational velocity of the equipment.

To efficiently demonstrate the ability to meet the rotational velocity requirement under extreme wing-loading conditions, manufacturers employ Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) to determine the aerodynamic behaviour at different angles during rotation.  To stay competitive in the marketplace, there is a drive to automate our CFD modelling, replacing labour-intensive hours with computational time, providing a more cost-effective product.

Using our automated process, the turret rotates slowly and continuously in a transient CFD simulation, which may take many days to solve, but without the need for user interaction, and offers a continuous trace of the loads and moments on the structure as the turret rotates. Due to our ability to automate in this manner, Frewer Engineering can provide affordable solutions to complex vital analysis for a broad range of transient requirements.

Adhesives Research & Development

Developments in adhesive technology have opened up its use beyond the traditional composite applications. However, the existing methods for analysing this type of joint are not always suitable, resulting in inaccurate material behaviour prediction.

At Frewer Engineering, we believe in the benefits of developing new methods that can improve the speed and accuracy of our analysis to better serve our clients. As a result, we have developed in-house FEA tools for the analysis of bonded sections. Our method expands on traditional models, giving a more detailed insight into forces, displacements, and stress behaviour in both the material and adhesive. Furthermore, a custom post-processing script allows for faster interpretation of results and selection of relevant data.

Dedicated to the continued improvement of our services, we aim to keep developing custom tools for a wide range of design and analysis applications.