Tynemouth Computer Services (TCS) engineering analysis services are based on thirty plus years of experience. All the work is based on the industry leading ANSYS finite element software. We have expertise in both traditional ANSYS and the next generation Workbench products. TCS areas of expertise include linear and non-linear stress analysis, thermal analysis, vibration analysis and electromagnetic analysis. TCS undertake analysis projects, run training courses, develop APDL (the ANSYS programming language) macros, develop software to interface with ANSYS and offer consultancy in the most efficient use of finite element analysis. Our customer base includes Rolls-Royce plc, Vickers Ltd, Siemens Power Generation Ltd, BNFL plc and ANSYS Europe.
We have extensive experience of providing training in the use of the ANSYS system and in the general application of finite element methods to engineering analysis. Over the last few years we have presented many training courses including Introduction to Finite Element Methods, ANSYS Introductory course, ANSYS Electromagnetics, ANSYS Thermal, ANSYS Non linear, ANSYS Advanced Contact, Introduction to Analysis of Micro Electrical Mechanical Systems (MEMS) with ANSYS, Multiphysics Simulation for MEMS, Introduction to ANSYS Workbench, Workbench Non Linear analysis and Introduction to Design Modeller. We believe that our wide knowledge of the engineering industry coupled with many years experience of applying ANSYS to solve engineering problems gives our courses an important practical bias. All the training courses feature extensive hands on practical sessions to show the most effective way to utilise ANSYS.
We also specialise in providing on-site consultancy where we will discuss problems with a customers engineers and analysts and suggest ways to utilise ANSYS more effectively.
We have worked in many industries including nuclear plant, electrical machines, military vehicles, diesel engines, lifting equipment, electrical switchgear, power generation equipment and commercial vehicles. Some examples of projects we have undertaken are set out in the following sections.
The customer was developing a large electric
motor of novel design. TCS, working in close co-operation with
the customers engineers and scientists, undertook electromagnetic
simulation of the performance of the proposed machine under a
large range of operating conditions, prior to the construction
of test rigs and prototypes. This simulation was used by the customer
to make design changes to improve the performance. When the test
rigs and prototype machines were constructed, the TCS predicted
results were found to be in good agreement with the measured values.
The customer has responsibility for the maintenance of a large quantity of nuclear steam raising plant. TCS have undertaken the assessment of a number of components of the nuclear plant. A typical assessment involves constructing a finite model of the component (which may may be done from scratch or may be based on an existing CAD solid model imported into ANSYS). The finite element model is subjected to a number of thermal analyses to simulate the normal and fault operating conditions of the plant and calculate the resulting transient temperature distributions. These temperature distributions are then used to calculate thermal stresses at a selection of times so as to capture the peak thermal stresses. Stresses due to the internal pressure at the appropriate times and any mechanical loads acting on the component (e.g. from attached pipework) are added to the thermal stresses. The stresses at a number of critical locations are then linearised and the linearised stresses written to file. A custom application, developed by us, is then used to process the stress results and assess the acceptability of the component against a range of criteria including plastic collapse, stress ratchetting and fatigue.
The customer was considering a design change to improve the performance of a large electrical generator that had been in service for a number of years. The customer had based their design work on their own two dimensional axi-symmetric model of the component. However the actual loading and geometry had significant three dimensional components. TCS worked from the original drawings to construct a three dimensional brick meshed finite element model. The model utilised surface to surface contact elements to represent the shrink fit assembly process. The model was subject to a number of loading conditions including assembly loads, centrifugal loads and thermal loads. The results demonstrated that the proposed design change represented a significant improvement but also highlighted some features that the original two dimensional analysis could not include.