Optimized Truss Design Using FEA
Technologies:
SolidWorks
FEA Analysis
Mechanical Design
Material Science
Project Overview
- Designed a truss-based stand to support industrial fluid systems under strict safety and weight requirements.
- Iteratively refined the design using SolidWorks and FEA, achieving a final efficiency score of 74.569.
- The final design supports 30 times its own mass, meeting all criteria with a minimum factor of safety of 3.7.
Design Process
I conducted multiple design iterations to optimize the truss geometry. The initial design revealed high stress in the vertical members, so I removed them to distribute loads more evenly. Subsequent iterations introduced a triangular configuration that improved efficiency and reduced weight. FEA simulations confirmed that the final design, constructed from 2024 Aluminum Alloy, meets the load-bearing requirements and achieves a maximum supported load of 430,000 lbf.
