Algor Around the World: Costa Rica Algor Used to Optimize Hydraulic Press Frame Design

When the steel frame that holds a rubber molding press failed in a Costa Rican factory, the manufacturer brought in the reinforcements by contracting Guido M. Quesada of Spoerl & Asociados, S.A., in San Jose, Costa Rica to use Algor software to determine the best way to bolster the replacement frame, which had already been manufactured but was not yet installed. The replacement frame for the automotive floor mat factory had been built to accommodate a larger mold, but there was now concern that it would not be strong enough.

Bring in the Reinforcements!

The frame, which measures 7.5 feet high, 5 feet wide and 4 feet deep, must withstand the force exerted by two hydraulic pistons working at 2,000 psi, a total of approximately 880 tons. Mr. Quesada began by building the model of the frame in Superdraw II. He took advantage of planes of symmetry to reduce processing time. Then, a linear stress analysis was performed in order to determine whether the new frame would resist the load that had broken the original frame.

"By viewing the analysis results in Superview, I knew I would be able to determine the best way to reinforce the frame, if reinforcement was necessary," said Mr. Quesada.

The results of the first analysis indicated that the frame would not only exceed admissible deflections, but would also exceed the yield stress in several areas. Mr. Quesada added a reinforcement plate to the model where the analysis indicated maximum stresses would occur. Subsequent analyses and modifications were conducted until the results were within the needed limits.

About Algor

Mr. Quesada uses Algor software to design, analyze and optimize piping, plastic and metal products, and structures such as the hydraulic press frame described above. In a piping project, he conducted a series of buckling analyses to discover the best shape for food cans, which must withstand the pressure of the canning process. Currently, he is working to optimize the shape of a piping tee. With the aid of Algor, he has discovered that the stress in the tee would occur at an unexpected location.

"The best features about Algor in the Costa Rican environment are its versatility, ease-of-use, low cost and ability to run on PCs, " said Mr. Quesada.

"When I began using the software, I knew about finite element analysis," said Mr. Quesada. "Because I didn't attend training, I appreciated that Algor was easy enough to use that I could teach myself. When I did have questions, I got great support from the staff at Algor."

"Algor's automatic mesh generators are also very helpful in taking some of the more tedious work out of finite element model building," concluded Mr. Quesada.