Simple effect cylinder

The customer

• Size: Small-medium enterprise
• Sector: Heavy machinery components
• Country: United Kingdom

The Project

• Size: 45-50 man-hours
• Duration: 2-3 weeks

The Problem

• Piston shaft malfunction detected on the rod end thread
• Shaft micro-bends lead to sealing failure

Proposed solution

• Stress analysis under different scenarios of cavity pressure
• Re-design threaded joint in cylinder's rod end

The simulations

• Stress analysis to find mechanical hotspots of the structure, including shaft, cavity and both ends (FEA analysis)
• Optimization of the design for extended product life (FEA analysis)

Project overal results

• Redesign led to maximum stress decrease of 17%.
• Savings over £28,000 for the customer in prototyping and testing (estimate).
• Savings of more than 12 weeks in development time (estimate).