Structural FEA Meeting Notes

Page to document the meetings that were held.

Types of Meetings:

  • Project Planning

  • Updates

  • Training Session

  • Working Session

  • Decision-making

Format:

  • [Type of Meeting]_[YYYY.MM.DD]_[Meeting Description]

Terms:

  • DRI - Directly Responsible Individual

 

 

Training Session_2021.05.06_Project Breakdown, Timelining, Member Training

Meeting Agenda/Goals:

  • Have a context debrief and history debrief of Structural FEA project

  • Describing and detailing out (documenting) each project stage.

    • Note: Work together to document details; make members the DRI for documentation for their respective project stage

  • Understanding dependencies/blockers and setting short term timelines/goals

    • Note: we primarily need to prioritize reviewing past work (e.g. MS12) and re-evaluating our current assumptions/FEA setup to see if it is the most appropriate approach.
      Note: ASC Regs are our rules and constraints to design by.

  • Train members on existing Ansys Structural FEA procedures

    • Note: try to highlight areas of uncertainty and improvements
      Note to Self: Mechanical Bay Computers Remote Desktop and Signup Procedures

Meeting Notes:

Context Debrief

  • When and how Structural FEA was done in the past (by Jason and mentored by Matt)

    • assumptions that had to be made, e.g. dynamics weight and mounting - 100 kg on A plane and 100 kg on C plane

    • force model setup/assumptions, i.e. weight relevance when car is off the ground, how we are assuming/representing the vehicle collision scenario in simulation

Describing and detailing each project stage:

  • Notes were made in each project stage’s confluence page

  • Recommendation to create meeting notes/documentation for each project stage to record advice/directions/suggestions given. Also to document any decision-making.

    • create child pages as deemed appropriate

Understanding dependencies/blockers and setting short term timelines/goals

Member Training

 

 

Decision Making_2021.05.15_Week 1 Deliverables

Meeting Agenda:

  1. Review Deliverables

    1. FEA Setup Justification

    2. Mass Analysis

  2. Assign Week 2 Deliverables

 

1.a Most collisions outside of ASC, explicit dynamic analysis makes the most sense

Matt said - the way the load was worded → “5G” instead of a speed. A lot of teams chose to do that instead of dynamics analysis. Therefore static analysis was the easiest was to pass ASC.

1.b Mass Analysis

  • Didn’t get to dig into simulations

  • maximum 3 vehicle collision scenarios; enough mass configurations (hopefully some are redundant)

  • Timeline - busy and unable to deliver until Tuesday (19)

 

Action Items:

  1. Read ASC Regs related to Structural FEA + Review the confluence pages for research related to setup justification + simulation setup.

  2. New Goals have been set

Night of Tuesday, May 18 - Min finishes Mass Analysis Study

Tuesday/Wednesday May 18/19 - Review Mass Analysis Simulations with Tommy + Create small report for Mech Advisors (Leif, Matt, and Kevin + Catherine) to review and approve

Thursday, May 20 - Begin Stage 2 deliverables (assuming stress values are still not solved

Saturday, May 22 - Have mech-leads meeting to review progress and give training on Stage 2 deliverables

Night of Tuesday, May 25 - Finish Stage 2 deliverables

Tuesday/Wednesday May 25/26 - Review Stage 2 deliverables + Create small report for Mech Advisors (Leif, Matt, and Kevin + Catherine) to review and approve

May 31 - Complete Supplier Interfacing Logistics for approved solution

2021.05.22

  • Chassis inaccuracy investigation should use the direct method of creating accurate chassis model and running it in simulations

    • it is not possible to do this without being onsite and measuring out the chassis

  • Conclusion: Composite solution FEA will continue, but incorporates a large SF as much as possible

    • Chassis inaccuracy investigation will be an additional investigation after June 2 (when lockdown lifts) to validate the solution chosen.

      • Also provides geometrical constraints/requirements that is useful

  • We should also do destructive and validation testing of composites and composite joints on the solution found

    • → this should be added onto the project timeline near the end, etc.

  • What are the real downsides of sheet metal compared to composite panels besides weight?
    (Efforts of down selecting material choice for panel solution)

    • Sheet metal is

      • easier to manufacture

        • we won’t have to manufacture it besides partially sizing it down

      • no testing required

      • more reliable

      • less work for us overall

  • Need to know more about weight:

  • Aluminum may not be in our design space and there is an easy way to validate that:

    • is it weldable, etc.

    • Could have been a prescreening method before material selection and adding simulations

  • Order of priorities/working on things:

    • Possibly steel, composites, maybe exclude aluminum

  • Note: Wouldn’t turn over every rock in the investigation

    • also want to close out options as soon as possible before they rear their ugly heads down the line

  • Action Items

    • Invalidate aluminum through welding or attachment research

    • See if we can exclude composites

    • Get updated masses of vehicles

    • Mesh convergence studies

      • question mark of how accurate results are and if any results have converged

    • Fixed faces of collision object to allow bowing of the collision object itself

    • Contact between collision object and chassis to become frictionless

      • Would need additional ways to constrain Chassis' movement (to compile solution)

      • But there is a chance that it can improve

      • also gives gap between chassis tubes and collision object when (e.g.) the front chassis face bows in front of the collision object

      • if it was bonded - the front tubes of the chassis cannot deform in any way (infinite stiffness problems)

    • Other ASC/legacy setup questioning contact mech advisors about

  • Material Selection Note:

    • Choose a baseline material at the beginning and try to refine that material later on

    • If there is a reason to change it, just need to check previous documentation

2021.05.29

Meeting Agenda:

  • Sync Up on each person’s progress and availability for the next week

  • Mentioning about additional 1 or 2 weeks of timeline because of component design aspects and review

  • Bring in more people to this project

    • get to help out with minor stuff, etc.

    • delegate mesh convergence - Ansys has mesh convergence tool - Ask Matt / Adam

 

2021.06.05

Meeting Agenda:

  • Sync Ups and Updates and Blockers

  • New task - get more accurate masses of battery box and dynamics mounting since we have random 100 kg mass points everywhere. Those should be justified!!!

  • Distribute work

 

Updates:

  • Tommy - completed mass (got an approximation but could be improved)

    • mesh convergence studies on simulation was blocked (remote bay computers offline)

  • Kimberly -

    • made progress

    • blocked by offline remote bay computers

  • Min -

    • Mesh convergence tool doesn’t work on beam tools

    • Working on sheet metal into Chassis

    • blocked by bay computers

  • Sheet metal placement (ASC Regs + Communicate with Interiors)

    • need to figure out occupant space and assembly interference

    • Component design of how the sheet metal would be installed onto the Chassis

      • Material Selection page by kimberly had some research about mounting parts

  • Updated Master Assembly (Announcement into Chat)

  • Updated Mass Assembly

2021.06.12

 

2021.06.26

2021.07.03

 

2021.07.14