Buckling Analysis of a cyclone separator stand using Solidworks FEA Simulation

Aim:

To perform buckling analysis on a cyclonic separator stand in Solidworks.

Objective:

• To perform buckling analysis on a cyclonic separator stand without a stiffener.
• To perform buckling analysis on a cyclonic separator stand with a stiffener at various positions.
• To obtain the buckling factor of safety and determine the best position for stiffener.

Theory:

Buckling is characterized by a sudden sideways failure of a structural member subjected to high compressive stress, where the compressive stress at the point of failure is less than the ultimate compressive stress that the material is capable of withstanding. Mathematical analysis of buckling often makes use of an "artificial" axial load eccentricity that introduces a secondary bending moment that is not a part of the primary applied forces being studied. As an applied load is increased on a member, such as a column, it will ultimately become large enough to cause the member to become unstable and is said to have buckled.

Further load will cause significant and somewhat unpredictable deformations, possibly leading to complete loss of the member's load-carrying capacity. If the deformations that follow buckling are not catastrophic the member will continue to carry the load that caused it to buckle. If the buckled member is part of a larger assemblage of components such as a building, any load applied to the structure beyond that which caused the member to buckle will be redistributed within the structure

Setup Explanation:

1. First, the cyclonic stand is imported in Solidworks. The stiffener is sketched in the top plane and extruded to a length of 40 mm from an offset of appropriate dimension from the top face as shown.

2. Then, under simulation option click on new study and create a new buckling study.
3. Right click on the stand and set material as alloy steel.
4. Create a fixed support at the bottom faces of the legs and apply a uniformly distributed force to the top face with a magnitude of 150,000 N as shown.

5. Create a mesh with the default settings as shown and run the study.

6. Do the same thing for stand but without the stiffener and save the results.
7. Now, create a new design study and set the offset distance as a variable ranging from 80 mm to 2000 mm with a step of 80 mm. Add the buckling factor of safety as a goal to maximize it and run it as shown. Save the result as a .csv file.

Results:

1. Without Stiffener: Buckling factor of safety = 9.3933

2. With Stiffener: Buckling factor of safety = 17.522

3. Design Study: The maximum value of Buckling factor of safety is 17.6144 and is obtained at an offset of 960 mm from the top face.

Conclusion:

1. The buckling factor of safety without a stiffener is significantly lower than that with a stiffener.
2. With a stiffener, the buckling factor of safety first increases, reaches a peak value and then decreases again. It reaches its peak value at the midpoint between the fixed support and point of application of force.
3. Hence, the stiffener should be attached at the midplane of the legs for minimum buckling.

File Link: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1C23__iV8ReJbJvBVgZ-PhmGmy0799DCa?usp=sharing