Strengthening of thin curve members by topological modification and estimation by strain energy method

Abstract

In the world of engineering, mechanical members are subjected to complex loading and the challenges are growing day by day which has led to several innovations. Today the loading members are not just straight but curved with other modifications such as simple curves and deep curves with varied thickness such as for thin members. These thin curved members are available in various topological form such C or L shaped geometry and are seen regularly in our day to day life, such as hooks, angles, handles, etc.In this paper we deal with the strengthening of simple thin curve industrial grade members with least modification in its topology and analyzing the results for increased in Strain Energy by the use of mathematical modeling and FEM software available in ANSYS 2019 R3 CAD version by Ansys Inc. The results showed that with the modifications as done in this research there is about 18.93% increase in the strain energy loading capacity of a member by introducing a straight section in the beam while maintaining the end points same as for the original thin curve member under test.