Structural Analysis of a Tilt-Blade Rotor Mechanism

Question: Given an assembly, such as the rotor mechanism shown below, how can one determine the stresses and potential failure modes?

Answer: Nonlinear FEA available in MSC Nastran can be used for structural analysis to assess the behavior of contacting rotor mechanisms. This presentation Contact Model of Rotor Components provides additional details on how to model such mechanisms in Patran and MSC Nastran.

If you would like to learn more, feel free to write me at . Please include a link of this blog post when writing.

Additional structural analysis tasks that may be performed include: 

Meshing

• Auto-meshing solids
• Hex meshing solids
  • Sweep meshing quads to hexes
  • Iso-meshing wedge and hex solids

Glued or Linear Contact for Quick Assessment

• Bolt Preload Assessment
• Peak Stresses are Often In or Near the Bolts
• Bolt Tightening Pattern Behavior Can be Simulated and Evaluated Using Multi-Step Analysis

Nonlinear Contact

• Detailed Stress Evaluation
• Stress Stiffened Modal Analysis

Fatigue

• Stress (total) Life
• Strain (initiation) Life
• Crack Propagation
• Vibration Fatigue
• Multiaxial Fatigue
• Spot & Seam Weld

Rotordynamics and Campbell Diagrams

Composite Blade Analysis

• Stress Analysis of Solid and Laminated Composites
• VCCT Fracture Mechanics
• Cohesive Zone Failure Analysis for Delamination Analysis