Redesigning planet carrier for material conservation using whale optimization

Abstract

Planet carriers are one of the important and heavy components in planetary gearboxes. Planet carriers of heavy gearboxes used for large applications are not produced in numbers. However, the increasing cost pressures has forced designers to apply weight reduction and optimization methods for components like these as a one-time obligatory exercise. In the presented case, a candidate planet carrier used in the gearbox of a sugar mill is considered for weight reduction exercise without compromising its strength. 3D CAD model of the given planet carrier is prepared and analyzed to understand the operating stresses. The knowledge of predictable stress values at various locations are used to guide the optimization. Numerical simulations are carried out with AI based Whale optimization algorithm for optimization. Obtained dimensions of optimized planet carriers are verified by the stress analysis again. The results predicted that a weight reduction of 8% can be possible with the optimized design without compromising the design constraints. The work demonstrates that a relatively simple whale optimization algorithm can be used to optimize weight for many such heavy components.