Weldment to Casting Conversion Using Topology Optimization

The automobile and off highway industries grapple with dilemma of making a required component out of a weldment by welding different plates together or making a single component using a casting manufacturing process. The decision is always based on many parameters viz. volume of manufactured components, tooling cost involved, dimensional stability required, cost of welding, fatigue strength required etc. As the volume of the manufactured components increases, the cost of casting and its tool goes down and hence it makes sense to convert the weldment into a casting. A traditional method to do this is to convert the weldment into a casting based on functionalities and experience. In this paper, a topology optimization based approach is used to understand and decide the most optimal usage of the material based on the different constraints. In this paper, considerations of weldment to casting conversion, usage of topology optimization to arrive at final design and strength and fatigue life calculation are discussed. Keywords: Weldment, Topology Optimization, casting, Design for Manufacturability

SELECTION OF THE PREFERRED DESIGN FOR MANUFACTURABILITY BY CONSTRUCTING THE PARETO TUPLE

The system to ensure manufacturability of industrial products is aimed at reducing the costs of all types of resources at the stages of their life cycle, selecting the most competitive in cost and functionality designs at the early stages of engineering. When assessing the new designs for manufacturability to be developed and selecting the best analogue or basic reference standard in terms of manufacturability, the engineer faces the need to apply multicriteria optimization methods. The solution of the applied task of design optimization by quantitative criteria of manufacturability in the conditions of an uncertain design and production environment is considered in the article as implementable in the system for ensuring design for manufacturability. The decisive rules for implementing the multi-step process of ranking the design options according to the manufacturability criteria with the construction of the Pareto tuple are formed. The implementation of the method is exemplified in practice when choosing the oscilloscope design that is advantageous in terms of manufacturability at a mass-production instrument-making plant.