EnginSoft - Conference Abstracts

EnginSoft International Conference 2010
CAE Technologies for Industry

Installation and clamping analysis of a retaining-ring for automotive vacuum pump

Testa Alessandro - Pierburg Pump Technology (Italy)
Maccherini Riccardo - Pierburg Pump Technology (Italy)
Squarcini Raffaele - Pierburg Pump Technology (Italy)

Abstract

The objective of the work is to describe the simulation of pretension (positioning phase) and clamping (operating phase) on a retaining-ring interpose between flange and cover of a vacuum pump; this analysis is simulated through the commercial code for numerical simulation, ANSYS.
In particular it has been introduced for the retaining-ring, the non-linear properties of the rubber through the mono-axial material curve provided by experimental data.
The simulation activity about positioning and clamping of the retaining-ring has followed a process that can be resume in this steps:

• Simplification of the geometric model
• Creation of material model
• Finite element modeling of the entire system
• Run and results post-process

The analysis of the retaining-ring is an high non-linear static-structural analysis; it has been introduced non-linear materials, great deformations and non-linear contacts.
Particular attention has been used to the evaluation of contact pressures between the connected parts in order to understand if the analyzed gasket were able to ensure complete seal of the two components between which it is located.