Blog posts

Electric Boat’s design process involves evaluating the structural stability of ring-stiffened cylinder structures through finite element analyses to simulate a static pressure load. Each design revision of the cylinders must be evaluated to verify that the structure meets the required stress criteria for the static pressure load; any revision to geometry or material would require the design to be reevaluated. Additionally, it is critical that the weight of the structure is kept as light as possible while still satisfying all stress and deflection criteria.

The paper presents a numerical simulation of the drop test in a still water for the multi-component box structure. The complexity of the problem is in the strong fluid-structure interaction (FSI) between the box and the water free surface. The numerical simulation of the drop test is performed with two software tools: Abaqus and FlowVision through the direct coupling interface, which manipulates, on the Abaqus side the Lagrangian finite-element mesh and on the FlowVision side the Eulerian finite-volume mesh with sub grid geometry resolution.

Mercury Marine outboards, engines, and drives are designed to withstand indoor impact testing (called “logstrike”) that simulates a collision with an underwater object. This test is comprised of an outboard or sterndrive device mounted on a mock boat that collides with a simulated log.

This paper covers finite element (FE) analysis and optimization of a spring orthosis, constructed from a pre-impregnated carbon-fibre epoxy composite material. The spring orthosis is one of the most advanced aids that are used in the orthopedist industry. The work has been performed in collaboration with Ortopedteknik, Borås Hospital, at FS Dynamics in Gothenburg. The purpose of the analyses was to find weaknesses of how the orthosis is built today and to give suggestions of how to change its properties and behaviour. The orthosis has two major interesting areas, the spring and the toe.

Biomechanics testing of the lumbar spine, using cadaveric specimens, has the advantage of using actual tissue, but has several disadvantages including variability between specimens and difficultly acquiring measures such as disc pressure, bone strain, and facet joint contact pressure. A simulation model addresses all of these disadvantages. The objective of this work is to develop a method to simulate the biomechanics of the lumbar spine. A process is currently being used to convert a CT scan of a lumbar spine into a simulation model.

Total knee replacement gives proven good results for isolated patello-femoral osteoarthritis, but patello-femoral arthroplasty may be more appropriate because only the joint compartment is replaced. Although the femoral component of a patello-femoral prosthesis is smaller than in total knee arthroplasty, it is unknown whether strain-adaptive periprosthetic bone remodeling occurs following patello-femoral arthroplasty. The aim of the study was to evaluate and compare the stress shielding effect of prosthetic replacement with Finite Element (FE) modeling.

Genetic algorithms have become one of successful tools in design and topology optimization. The optimization module based on genetic algorithms was developed and employed in Abaqus/CAE by GUI and kernel scripting. The new module extends advanced functionality of Abaqus/CAE allowing to perform optimization directly in Abaqus Unified FEA product suite from SIMULIA. The genetic algorithms implemented in optimization approach are based on available GPL libraries.

In this study we compare various way of quantifying high cycle radial fatigue behavior in a percutaneous Mitral repair device using Goodman methods. In order to provide an improved representation of the tissue-device interaction, we use an Ogden hyperelastic model to  simulate the native vessel with parameters obtained from pressure-diameter test data of human cadaver heart coronary tissue, and published data presented in previous work.

Prediction of respiratory motion has the potential to substantially improve cancer radiation therapy. A nonlinear finite element (FE) model of respiratory motion during full breathing cycle has been developed based on patient specific pressure-volume relationship and 4D Computed Tomography (CT) data. For geometric modeling of lungs and ribcage we have constructed

Computational modeling of stents can provide insight into critical locations (high stress/strain regions), help with design iterations/optimization, and reduce the need for bench-top testing. This study focuses on the developmental efforts to create a material model that can capture the mechanical response of poly-L-lactide (PLLA), the backbone of Abbott Vascular’s ABSORB Bioresorbable Vascular Scaffold (BVS). PLLA is an anisotropic, viscoplastic material.