Bearing Pressure
AssignmentTutorOnline
Bearing Pressure in Ansys APDL
Figure 1 shows a model of an elevator torque arm for an aircraft (the geometry is included as a .igs file below). To carry out an adequate analysis a bearing load should be applied at the bearing at the left hand side of the elevator arm. The resulting load should apply a pure torque to the elevator arm.
Figure 1: Elevator Torque Arm
The problem comes when using Ansys APDL in that there is no option to apply a bearing load. It had been hypothesised that a good approximation of a bearing load can be created using a Pressure – on Lines type loading. You have been tasked to check and see if this is the case and hence prove or disprove the hypothesis. To make the process as efficient as possible, the geometry shown in Figure 2 should be used to test the hypothesis (a copy of the drawing is included in Additional Files).
Figure 2: Test Geometry for Bearing Pressure
The details for the analysis are that the maximum force applied by a pilot on the control stick is 740 N plus the last digit of your enrolment number (e.g. enrolment number 17056234 then the applied load will be 744 N). The material properties of the elevator arm are those of Aluminium T7505 – T6 with Young’s modulus of elasticity of 73GN/m2 and Poisson’s ratio of 0.33. The thickness of the elevator arm is 6mm.
Requirements
Using the Ansys APDL and the test geometry determine if the hypothesis that the bearing load can be approximated using a pressure load. (Do not assume that it can be proven!).
Carry out a finite element analysis on the elevator torque arm using the best approximation for the loading.
Submission
Submit a report of your findings. The report should contain:
An introduction to the purpose and operation of elevator arms.
ALL assumptions made (both general and modelling)
ALL modelling details.
ALL relevant results
A discussion of the results and your findings, this should be linked to literature and other sources where ever possible.
Conclusions of the analysis undertaken.
The report should not contain:
A “How to … in Ansys APDL…”
An introduction along the lines of “Finite element analysis is…” or “The history and development of FEA…”
Conclusions relating to how good or bad finite element analysis is.