Structural Analysis: Fan Support Optimization

Finite Element Analysis (FEA) & fatigue failure mitigation for industrial fan suspension brackets.

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THE CHALLENGE

Industrial fan suspension brackets experienced structural failure after approximately 18,000 operational cycles due to fatigue damage caused by combined dead weight (320 N) and motor startup torque (60 Nm). The objective was to analyze the root cause of failure and propose a fatigue-resistant redesign.

HOW

FEA Simulation: Modeled and simulated the bracket in Siemens Simcenter (NX) under real-world worst-case loading conditions.

Realistic Setup: Applied fixed wall constraints and used rigid connections (RBE2) to accurately transfer the motor's startup torque to the mounting holes.
Stress Analysis: Evaluated Von Mises stress plots and verified solver accuracy through reaction force and energy equilibrium checks.

THE RESULTS AND REDESIGN

Found the Root Cause: The simulation revealed severe stress concentrations (up to 120 MPa) right at the stamped dimples in the bend, matching the exact physical fracture line from the field failures.

The Redesign: Modified the sheet metal part by removing the stamped dimples to create a smooth, uninterrupted bend transition.
The Impact: Reduced peak stress by ~30% (down to ~85 MPa) and distributed the load evenly across the fold, successfully eliminating the fatigue hot-spot.

PORTFOLIO