UWE Bristol Engineering showcase 2015
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James Baseley<br />
BEng Aerospace Design <strong>Engineering</strong><br />
Project Supervisor<br />
Dr Jason Matthews<br />
“AN INVESTIGATION INTO HOW ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING AND<br />
TOPOLOGY OPTIMISATION CAN MAKE THE AEROSPACE INDUSTRY MORE<br />
EFFICIENT”<br />
Project Details<br />
After some research into the current state of the art methods and technologies, it is clear that there is a lot of work that can be carried<br />
out to investigate the use of topology optimisation in the aerospace industry. The project is split into design & analysis, optimisation,<br />
and manufacture & testing of a jet engine bracket as an example component to demonstrate the process effectiveness both financially<br />
and environmentally on an example Airline and therefore the industry as a whole.<br />
Design and Analysis<br />
Initial Component – GE Jet Engine Bracket<br />
The bracket is analysed in its original form so<br />
that a direct comparison can be gained from<br />
the optimised version:<br />
Important aspects of FEA were carried out<br />
including a mesh study of different mesh types<br />
and densities in order to fine the most<br />
effective mesh for time and accuracy. The<br />
graph below shows the mesh convergence:<br />
Optimisation<br />
Otpimisation process utilised “Solidworks<br />
Optimisation,” an automatic dimensions<br />
constraining method:<br />
…and also a “user” optimisation method that<br />
involves the manual removal of excess, non-load<br />
bearing material:<br />
Each time the finished geometry is reanalysed<br />
until the mass reduction is satisfactory with the<br />
same structural capabilities.<br />
The final optimised component demonstrated<br />
nearly a 70% mass reduction over the original<br />
version<br />
Manufacturing & Testing<br />
Both optimised and original parts were additive<br />
layer manufactured using the fused deposition<br />
modeler. They were then tested in a tensile test<br />
machine to prove that they could experience the<br />
same loads before fracture.<br />
Results<br />
Results showed that the optimised version could<br />
perform as well as the original version, validating<br />
the study.<br />
A 70% reduction in mass of all metallic parts on an<br />
aircraft resulted in approximately $190million in<br />
savings to Etihad Airways’ Boeing 787 family.<br />
Project summary<br />
The project shows how topology optimisation<br />
can be used with additive layer<br />
manufacturing to make the aerospace<br />
industry more efficient by means of design,<br />
analysis, optimisation, manufacture and<br />
testing<br />
Project Objectives<br />
- Read into methods of additive layer<br />
manufacturing and topology optimisation<br />
- Design and analyse a suitable component<br />
from the aerospace industry<br />
- Use an optimisation process to reduce the<br />
part mass while sustaining structural<br />
integrity<br />
- Manufacture and test the original and<br />
optimised components for validation<br />
- Assess the impact the study could have on<br />
the aerospace industry<br />
Project Conclusion<br />
There is still much to validate when it comes<br />
to using the chosen optimisation method, as<br />
well as further areas of research that could be<br />
carried out that would either support or<br />
expand on what has been discovered.<br />
However, more importantly this project has<br />
successfully provided a baseline for further<br />
studies and has achieved the investigation of<br />
how using topology optimisation with<br />
additive layer manufacturing can make the<br />
Aerospace Industry more efficient.
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