Optimization of plastic ice-tub
Stacking ice-tubs in a warehouse can result in the bottom tub experiencing buckling failure, which, in turn, can cause the whole pile to collapse. Femto was asked to improve and optimise the ice-tub design with respect to stresses, weight and geometry.
Project summary
Expertise field
Materials
Type of analysis
Project factsheet
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Solution
Buckling (see Figure) occurs when the top-load (due to stacking) exceeds the buckling resistance. It is possible, however, to determine the buckling load of an ice-tub by using finite element analysis. A total of 24 designs were analysed for different material and geometric properties (wall thickness, groove, etc). The computations were performed using material non-linearity (plasticity) and geometrical non-linearity (updated Langrage procedure).
Results
Identifying the maximum buckling load in combination with minimum material use, it was possible to determine which of the 24 designs was best
Any questions about this project? Contact Tom Santegoeds at ts@femto.eu.