Manufacturers of equipment designed to handle bulk materials, such as bucket loaders, transfer chutes and truck bodies, must take into consideration the behavior of materials such as coal, ores or soil, a task that is difficult using traditional methods. In addition, estimating the effect of material loads on equipment can significantly impact the success of the product design.
To gain insight into the structural integrity of any proposed design, engineers routinely use CAE tools such as FEA. This approach can be relied upon to provide accurate analysis of the structure; however, the effect of interaction between the structure and bulk material, which the equipment is designed to handle, is a significant approximation, which can only be confirmed by time-consuming and expensive physical prototype testing to ensure the design meets requirements.
EDEM add-in delivers missing link in equipment design
DEM Solutions, a global provider of simulation software for the design and optimization of bulk materials processing equipment, has developed and launched a co-simulation capability that could radically change the way engineers approach the design of equipment that handles bulk materials.
DEM Solutions worked with ANSYS, a global provider of engineering simulation software, to develop a co-simulation capability that enables engineers to access EDEM bulk materials simulation data directly within ANSYS Workbench, allowing high-quality representations of bulk materials and their complex behavior to be included in Finite Element Analysis (FEA).
The new EDEM Add-In for ANSYS Workbench features a streamlined process to transfer material load data and will give equipment designers and manufacturers access to EDEM data in the familiar Workbench environment. The major benefit of the new capability is that it removes any guesswork by giving design engineers the data on the pressures and forces caused by the bulk materials acting on the equipment.
“This development will complete the picture for design engineers in providing a detailed understanding of the effect of materials on equipment design, allowing improved design accuracy and greater insight into equipment performance,” says Shane Moeykens, Senior Partnerships Manager of ANSYS. “In addition, the cost of expensive physical prototyping and days of reliance on assumption and guesswork will be reduced. By coupling EDEM with our ANSYS Workbench, equipment designers can access multiple tools in a quick and easy environment.”
For more information about the EDEM Add-In for ANSYS Workbench, please visit the EDEM-FEA co-simulation page on the DEM Solutions website.
