Validation using finite element analysis

Modelling to enhance experimental measurements

Finite element analysis (FEA) modelling is used within research projects across much of NPL. Our FEA capabilities are used to:

• design new equipment and test pieces
• gain a deeper understanding of the physical processes that occur during experiments
• test assumptions made about equipment or material behaviour
• investigate sensitivity of experimental results to environmental and geometric parameters
• estimate unknown physical parameters by matching model results to measured data.

Some examples of this research include:

• design of a nozzle for use in the NPL high temperature solid particle erosion (HTSPE) rig (read more: Adjacent Government article)
• flow simulations of gas within a pipe and the design of flow straighteners
• design of new through-thickness composite specimens
• characterisation of multi-layered nano piezo-electric devices to validate an analytical model (read more: Verification of a 3D analytical model of multilayered piezoelectric systems using finite element analysis)
• modelling the growth of corrosion pits within pipes to predict the stress state around the pit (read more: Finite element analysis of stress distribution around corrosion pit in shot-peened steel and Characterisation of initiation sites for cracks developed from pits in a shot-peened 12Cr blade steel)
• stress intensity factor modelling of cracks initiated from corrosion pits to improve understanding of experimental observations
• investigating the beneficial effects of shot peening on the growth of fatigue cracks by considering residual stresses within the near surface region (read more: Impact of solution conductivity and crack size on the mechanism of environmentally assisted crack growth in steam turbines)

We have experience in using multi-physics, multi-scale, and in some case multi-package, approaches to solve challenging scientific problems. Recent relevant work includes:

• coupling stress analysis and magnetic modelling for use of the geomagnetic field as a structural integrity sensor
• using a dual scale approach to model fluid flow in a porous membrane to support development of a device to calibrate MRI scanners
• using a thermal heat flow model to improve cooling of electricity substations, to ensure our electricity network can meet future demands ensuring a reliable electricity supply for the future

In addition to our FE capabilities, we have experience with finite difference, finite volume and boundary element techniques. We also have an ongoing interest in emerging techniques such as meshless methods, the extended finite element method and the Lattice Boltzmann method.

Finite element analysis

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