Ritchie Engineering Department - Product FEA (Finite Element Anlaysis) and Strength Verification
David Ritchie (Implements) Ltd have a huge range of Agricultural and Industrial products we design, manufacture and transport worldwide suitable for Onshore and Offshore environments.
On receipt of a client order, or specification, we then set about to design and anaylse the products to ensure they meet the client requirements.
Currently we have a team of 6 Engineers who use Autodesk Inventor Professional 2024, NASTRAN FEA and ANSYS FEA along with other software packages to model and analyse designs for a vast array of products. These can vary from full strcutures to component level.
The huge variety and nature of enquiries we receive, means that analysis packages allow us to stress anaylyse conditions for Linear and Non-Linear Static Loading, Bearing Stress, Stress due to Pressure, Impact and Shock, Fatigue and even Heat Transfer if required.
We analyse joint strength such as bolted connections, welded connections, rotational pin connections to mention a few.
This is a cruical first step in confirming the stresses and potential failure modes due to the imposed loadings and is performed in accordance with standard criteria, typically such as DNV 2.7-1. ASME B31.3, DoT and many more and also depending on Geographical location.
On occassions, and typically for BS EN 1090 scopes, we will utilise the professional services of 3rd party Structural Consultants to perform these calculations, on our behalf, and to verify designs are suitable for loadings such as Seismic and Wind loadings.
Most of our new products will then go through vigourous protoype testing, using suitable test loadings, in order to verify the product design strength and to ensure the geometry and selection of materials meet the criteria of the original specification, client requirements and statutory regulations.
Utilising FEA allows us to streamline prodcuts to ensure we maintain strength without overdesigning and cost efficiency. This ensures Ritchie remains competitive in an ever cost conscious world.
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We have full in-house load testing capabilites (up to 60T Hydraulic pull and 7T suspension load test) along with in-house certified Weld Insepectors using techniques such as MPI.
The majority of our products are welded using Coded Welders, where required, in accordance with BS EN ISO15614-1 and other applicable standards.
We also use FEA to verify legacy products or client own design products to check the validity of the product when we are requested to perform an external investigation or RCA. Or perhaps to verfiy a legacy design against altered or increased loading conditions.
Personally I prefer using NASTRAN as the interface with Inventor is friendly and fluid but having the ability for a separate Ritchie Engineer to confirm this using ANSYS is very useful.
Upon completion of our FEA Analysis, and as part of our Technical File, we then produce a full written report and submit for review and approval by notifed bodies and clients.
If you wish furhter information on any of our products and services, or have a requirement for a newly designed product, then please visit our website and contact us. We would be happy to discuss your requriements.
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