fe-safe

Durability analysis software for finite element models

Finite element analysis software is used for stress analysis, but this does not answer the most important questions - How long will a component last in service? What is the probability of failure during the service life? What design changes are necessary to provide optimum durability?

fe-safe provides the answers. It is a powerful, comprehensive and easy-to-use suite of fatigue analysis software for finite element models. It has direct interfaces to leading suites of FEA software. It is supplied complete with a database of materials fatigue properties to which users can add their own data.

In-service failures are expensive. Preventing failure by over-design can be more expensive in materials costs and weight penalties

fe-safe is an advanced durability analysis software suite for FE models. It combines component loading, FEA stresses and materials data, and performs advanced multiaxial fatigue analysis. Fatigue hot-spots are automatically identified. 3D contour plots can be displayed for fatigue life and for allowable stress factors for a specified design life.

It's capabilities include:

where fatigue cracks will occur
when fatigue cracks will initiate
the factors of safety on working stresses - for rapid optimisation
the probability of survival at different service lives - the 'warranty claim' curve

fe-safe includes all modules of Safe Technology's signal processing suite, safe4fatigue, at no additional cost.

Click for more information on fe-safe and on the developers, Safe Technologies, to view the respective web pages.

Verity in fe-safe

The revolutionary new Verity® mesh insensitive structural stress method, developed by Pingsha Dong of Battelle, USA, uses new patented methods to calculate the fatigue lives of welded joints.

The method can be applied equally well to structural welds in thick plate, seam welds in thin sheets, spot welds, friction stir weld, electronic solder joints, etc.

It has been developed in collaboration with over a dozen leading engineering companies, members of Battelle’s Joint Industry Project (JIP), and verified by correlating the results of more than 800 sets of welded joint fatigue test data.

Battelle has licensed the Verity® method to Safe Technology to produce a new add-on module in fe-safe™, the state-of-the-art durability analysis suite for Finite Element models. This will be available from 2006.

Verity®

offers major benefits in fatigue analysis of welded joints
is mesh insensitive - detailed FEA models are not required
uses a single S-N curve for all welds - the user does not have to determine a ‘weld classification’
includes the option of further improving the accuracy of fatigue life predictions by allowing the user to add specific S-N curves for particular types of welds
is based on nodal forces at the weld - the user does not need to determine nominal stresses at some distance from the weld toe
provides excellent correlation with test data
is available as an add-on capability in fe-safe™ – enabling the user to include the effects of complex loading histories, multiaxial fatigue, and other advanced capabilities
results can be plotted in FEA packages such as ABAQUS, ANSYS and Nastran
a tool in HyperMesh supporting Verity® in fe-safe™ is available to automatically identify and generate the weld definitions required by Verity®

safe4fatigue

The advanced fatigue analysis and signal processing suite

safe4fatigue provides advanced fatigue and durability analysis from measured or simulated signals. safe4fatigue incorporates a powerful signal processing package, and is optimised for use on all Windows platforms.

safe4fatigue is an integrated system for managing durability analysis.

All safe4fatigue modules are included in Safe Technology's durability analysis software, fe-safe, at no additional cost.

Click for more information on safe4fatigue and on the developers, Safe Technologies, to view the respective web pages.