Functional and Service Life Verification – Understanding Loads, Ensuring Safety

Components in mechanical engineering must function reliably under real operating conditions – even under varying loads, dynamic influences or thermal stresses. With modern methods of structural mechanics, these loads can be realistically simulated and the component behaviour can be evaluated at an early stage.

In this way, critical stresses, deformations and vibration-prone areas become visible before physical prototypes are required – an essential basis for reliable functional and service life verification.

• Assessment of operational strength
  We examine the loading under real load collectives and derive whether finite or infinite fatigue life is maintained.
• Non-linear structural and material analysis
  Whether large deformations, plastic material behaviour or complex contact conditions – we represent non-linear effects in a realistic manner.
• Dynamic investigation of mode shapes and resonance ranges
  We identify natural frequencies and operating ranges in which resonance or increased vibration susceptibility may occur.
• Simulation of transient and harmonic load cases
  Impact loads, run-up and run-down processes or periodic excitations: we simulate how time-dependent loads affect component safety.
• Service life evaluation based on calculated stresses
  Based on the simulation results, we determine the expected service life and identify which areas of the component exhibit critical ageing.
• Analysis of contact and friction behaviour
  We examine how contact pressures, friction and local contact conditions influence functionality and durability.
• Virtual evaluation of design variants
  We compare different geometries, materials or design approaches – fast, efficient and without costly prototype iterations.
• Derivation of constructive optimisation measures
  Stiffness optimisations, material adjustments or load path modifications: we show which modification genuinely increases the functional and service life reserves.
• Modelling of complex components and assemblies
  We create reliable FE models – from individual components to complex coupled assemblies – and evaluate their operating behaviour.