Simulations

Finite Element Analysis for design optimization and validation

At JJ X-Ray, we use Finite Element Analysis (FEA) for two purposes: early in the project to steer the design and later in the project to validate the final design before customer approval.

The impact of early simulation on product development

In product development, the early stages are where the most critical decisions are made – long before the instrument is built. Studies show that over 70% of a product’s total cost is committed during the design phase. This means that identifying and addressing design issues early on, can have a significant impact on performance and cost of instruments.

Engineering simulation, also referred to as virtual testing, allows us to keep the costs down while simultaneously optimizing performance. As the development of cutting-edge instruments is at the core of our business, many of our instruments are custom designed and will be built only once. Therefore, prototyping – which is common practice in many other industries – is not feasible due to the cost as well as the time this would involve.

Therefore, we rely on engineering simulation to provide insight into how our products would behave under operating conditions ranging from structural to thermal effects and fluid flow. With the right models in place, it is possible to test dozens of design variations, and explore the impact of changes in geometry, boundary conditions or material, all without wasting precious time waiting for hardware.

The simulations do not only give us a change to predict failure, it also allows us to make better design choices: lighter materials that are still strong enough, more efficient cooling, reduced vibration or better material usage.

Design validation

In addition to optimizing the design, we also use simulations to validate our design principles that we have developed through many years of experience in the field of scientific x-ray and neutron instrumentation. Typically, our customers have requirements for a certain minimum First Eigenfrequency that needs to be obtained, or a certain heat deposition that needs to be dissipated. Finite Element Analysis (FEA) is a powerful tool to show that our design will perform well under the required conditions.

FEA expertise

While simulation tools are powerful, they require experience to be used effectively. It is not only about software, it’s about applying engineering judgment to make the correct simplification for complex models, set meaningful boundary conditions and interpret results.

In some projects, we partner up with SimulaX Engineering to bring additional simulation expertise into the development and validation process. Their contribution allows us to efficiently try a variety of designs and to validate key performance criteria, like eigenfrequencies and thermal performance. In the below example, they greatly sped up the design by optimizing the rotor blade for stiffness while maintaining the center of gravity in the same horizontal position. With the support of SimulaX, we reach our targets faster and with greater confidence.