SKF Streamlines Bearing Analysis for Ansys Users
Machine designers increasingly rely on earlier and more predictively accurate simulations to accelerate product development, help eliminate errors and reduce the need for physical prototypes. In many mechanical systems, such as gearboxes or electric drivetrains, bearing performance is a critical driver of overall system performance.
However, simulation of bearings is challenging since their behavior depends on load characteristics and fine geometric details that are not readily available to designers or simulation teams. With the new SKF Bearing App for the popular Ansys Mechanical Finite Element Analysis (FEA) software, engineers no longer need to rely on approximations or complex, unreliable models in their simulations.
“With this new integration, we are taking the burden of bearing simulation away from the user’s system and doing it ourselves” explains Hedzer Tillema, product manager engineering software at SKF. “Our calculations consider the detailed contacts between the rolling elements and the raceways of the bearing, and full details of the micro-geometry.”
Hedzer Tillema, product line manager engineering tools, SKF
“The partnership with SKF is a great example of empowering engineers to gain detailed insight into the performance of their designs early on” says Mark Hindsbo, VP & GM at Ansys. “No one knows bearings better than SKF and that knowledge is now available to every Ansys Mechanical user.”
In the Ansys integration, the user first selects their chosen bearing using a user-friendly wizard. The App then communicates with a SKF cloud server to obtain a predictively accurate representation of the stiffness of a real bearing.
