CAE Software’s Weld Fatigue Prediction Improved

By DE Editors

Version 7 of nCode DesignLife fatigue analysis software has been released by HBM nCode (Southfield, MI). nCode DesignLife, HBM says, is optimized for large model sizes and realistic loading/usage schedules. Version 7, the company adds, offers significant enhancements for predicting fatigue failures of welded structures as well several usability improvements.

nCode DesignLife, which leverages results from leading finite element software such as Abaqus, ANSYS, LS-Dyna, Nastran, and RADIOSS,  offers a range of fatigue analysis capabilities including stress-life,  strain-life, multi-axial, weld analysis, and virtual shaker table. The latter,  described as a unique capability, is said to include the ability to predict fatigue analysis in the frequency domain.

With version 7, nCode DesignLife now is said to provide several methods for calculating effective structural stresses at each weld location. The techniques, explains the company, are primarily aimed at seam or “MIG” welds used in body and frame structures in automotive and other ground vehicle applications. HBM says that results from these new methods used in nCode DesignLife have been shown to more accurately reflect observed fatigue failure locations by avoiding unrealistic “hot spots” caused by discontinuities and approximations in the FE models.

Enhancements for performing safety factor calculations that account for manufacturing processes in thin sheet components have been incorporated in nCode DesignLife 7. Significant plastic strains and work hardening that occur during the stamping process can result in considerably improved fatigue strength. The amount of plastic strain at each location in the FE model is used to modify the Dang Van material parameters that are used to calculate the safety factor.

Says Julien Guyé, responsible for fatigue software at PSA Peugeot Citroën, France, in a testimonial supplied with announcement of nCode DesignLife version 7: “DesignLife now enables us to account for the plastic strain introduced during the manufacture of parts. This improves the accuracy of predicted fatigue safety factors, especially for stamped automotive components.”

nCode DesignLife also comes with a materials database that includes fatigue properties for many commonly used materials, and a materials manager enables enables users to add, edit, and plot materials data. Standard features include a virtual strain gauge that provides for correlate tests with FE (finite element) results and signal processing with GlyphWorks Fundamentals,  a data processing system for engineering test data that provides functionality for basic data manipulation, analysis, and visualization. nCode DesignLife also comes with Python scripting capabilities.

HBM’s nCode DesignLife 7 runs on 32- and 64- bit Windows XP,  Windows Vista, and Windows 7 systems as well as Red Hat Enterprise 5 Linux and SUSE Linux 10.2. A beta release of new capability for multi-axial fatigue analysis is available at this time. This new capability will be discussed in a free webinar on March 31, 2011.

Go to the the HBM website for more information on nCode DesignLife version 7.

Download the HBM nCode DesignLife 7 brochure.

Access details on upcoming HBM nCode webinars or register for an on-demand webinars.

Learn more about nCode GlyphWorks.

Go to the HBM-nCode website.

See why DE’s Editor’s selected HBM’s nCode DesignLife version 7 as their Pick of the Week.

Sources: Press materials received from the company and additional information gleaned from the company’s website.