Thermal Stress Analysis

Thermal-Stress and Thermal-Deflection analyses are an important subset of

general finite element analysis (FEA) modelling. Such analyses are common in
the development of rocket motors, ASME pressure vessels, electronics (PCB),
electronic systems (automotive lamp systems), composite curing mandrels,
generators, satellites and etc. Recent studies have shown that over 40 percent
of all operational failures or significant performance degradations are due to
thermal-related problems. Heat can have a direct impact on mechanical
structures by creating distortion, which then causes additional stress.

Aircraft engines take in cold air, which then rapidly changes to extremely
hot air as it passes through the engine.
Spacecraft face wild swings of temperature while on the surface of
distant planets.
Electronic components generate heat, which could impact structural
performance of the entire device.

In each of these cases, its critical for us to understand how severely

temperature changes will alter the performance of our product. So using
computational tools to perform thermal stress analysis can help fabricators
and designer determine whether their product can withstand thermal load
with minimum or no defect and save lot of production cost.

Thermal Stress

Temperature changes cause the body to

expand or contract. If temperature
deformation is permitted to occur freely, no
load or stress will be induced in the structure.
But, if the deformation is somehow restricted
by displacement constrains or opposing
pressure, then an internal stress is created. This
internal stress is termed as thermal stress.
Another cause of thermal stress is non uniform
deformation caused due to different materials
i.e. different thermal expansion coefficient.

Fig: Thermal stress

Procedure

Thermal stress effects can be simulated by coupling a heat transfer analysis

(steady-state or transient) and a structural analysis (static stress with linear or
nonlinear material models). The process consists of two basic steps:

1. Perform a heat transfer analysis to determine the temperature

distribution.

Model with thermal Elements

Apply thermal loading
Solve and review results

2. Apply the temperature results as a load in a structural analysis to

determine the stress and displacement caused by the temperature
loads.

Switch element type to structural

Define structural Material Properties, including the thermal
expansion coefficient
Apply the structural or pressure loading, including the
temperatures from thermal analysis.
Solve and review results.

Fig: Procedure for thermal stress analysis.

Computational Tool

The simulations were conducted in Ansys Workbench. Thermal structural

coupling was done using Transient Heat transfer analysis and Static structural
Analysis.

Transient thermal analysis determines temperatures and other thermal

quantities that vary over time. Engineers commonly use temperatures that a
transient thermal analysis calculates as input to structural analyses for thermal
stress evaluations. Many heat transfer applications-heat treatment problems,
nozzles, engine blocks, piping systems, pressure vessels, etc.-involve transient
thermal analyses. A transient thermal analysis follows basically the same
procedures as a steady-state thermal analysis. The main difference is that most
applied loads in a transient analysis are functions of time. To specify time-
dependent loads, you first divide the load-versus-time curve into load steps.

ANSYS structural analysis software enables you to solve complex structural

engineering problems and make better, faster design decisions. With the finite
element analysis (FEA) tools available in the suite, you can customize and
automate solutions for your structural mechanics problems and parameterize
them to analyze multiple design scenarios. ANSYS structural analysis software
is used throughout the industry to enable engineers to optimize their product
designs and reduce the costs of physical testing. A complete range of analysis
tools is available to analyze single load cases, vibration or transient analysis;
you can also examine linear and nonlinear behaviour of materials, joints and
geometry.

Figure: Ansys 15
Thermal Stress Analysis of Ionization Chamber

Transient Thermal Analysis

In the context of the designed ionization chamber, the heat transfer takes
place in the following order:

Electrodes (3000K Working Fluid Walls of the

of localized (getting ionized) Ionization
temperature) Chamber

Steps in Heat transfer from Electrodes to Working fluid:

Define the modelling goals including the boundary conditions and

geometry.

First a 3-D slab of oxygen was designed with the power source at the
center with a circle as shown in the diagram below. In this simulation
we assume that oxygen covers 90% of the total volume of the chamber.
The dimension of the oxygen slab is same as the dimension of the
chamber.

Fig: Oxygen Slab with power source at the center

 The expected temperature around the power source is 2500 K due to
presence of an electric arc necessary to ionize the gases. The gas initially
is at ambient condition of 35 degrees Celsius. The transient analysis is
run for 60 seconds which is our estimated time of operation for a single
run.

Create the mesh.

ANSYS uses unstructured meshes in order to reduce the amount of time
we spend generating meshes, to simplify the geometry modelling and
mesh generation process, to allow modelling of more complex
geometries than we can handle with conventional, multi-block
structured meshes, and to let us adapt the mesh to resolve the flow-field
features. ANSYS can also use body-fitted, block-structured meshes.
ANSYS is capable of handling triangular and quadrilateral elements (or a
combination of the two) in 2D, and tetrahedral, hexahedral, pyramid,
wedge, and polyhedral elements (or a combination of these) in 3D. This
flexibility allows you to pick mesh topologies that are best suited for
your particular application.
Few factors that govern the meshing are the complexity of the
geometry, the degree of mesh resolution required in each region of the
domain for better analysis and the computer memory available.

Mesh Dimensions:

Mesh Geometry Tetrahedral

Nodes 1242

Elements 594

Relevance Center Course

 Growth Rate 1.2

Minimum Edge length 3.000 e-003m

Smoothing High

Transition Slow

Span angle center Fine

Table: Mesh Dimensions

Fig: Mesh in oxygen slab

Set up the solver and physical models.

The following steps were followed while setting up the physical model.
The initial temperature was set to be 35 deg Celsius.
The time of operation was set as 60 second and time step was set
to be manual with a time step of 1.00e-2 seconds.
Apply the temperature load of 2500K at the power source (i.e. the
circular section at the center)
 Set up the required solution to be calculated as Temperature and
generate the contour.
Run the simulation.

Results:
The temperature profile generated is shown below.

Fig: Heat Transfer from Electrode to Oxygen.

We can see a proper thermal symmetry with the average temperature on the
bottom and top surface of 800 degree Celsius and 610 degrees Celsius on the
right and left surface. So, from the above contour we can use the wall
temperature to simulate the heat transfer effect that takes place from the
oxygen to the wall.

Steps in Heat transfer from Working fluid to Chamber:

The steps followed for this simulation is same as it is done above. We take the
inner wall temperature for the chamber obtained from the above simulation.

Define the modelling goals and geometry.

Our primary goal is to check whether the given thickness of 5 mm is

sufficient to withstand the thermal loads; so, a cut out portion of the
chamber is adopted for the heat transfer analysis. The dimension for the
chamber is 100*50*50 mm3 made of mild steel.

Fig: Chamber Walls

The transient analysis is run for 60 seconds which is our estimated time
of operation for a single run.

Create the mesh.

Mesh Dimensions:

Mesh Geometry Tetrahedral

Nodes 3264

Elements 432
 Relevance Center Coarse

Growth Rate 1.2

Minimum Edge length 4.000 e-003m

Smoothing Medium

Transition Fast

Span angle center Coarse

Table: Mesh Dimensions

Fig: Mesh in chamber walls

Set up the solver and physical models.

The following steps were followed while setting up the physical model.
The initial temperature was set to be 22 deg Celsius.
The time of operation was set as 60 second and time step was set
to be manual with a time step of 1.00e-2 seconds.
Apply the temperature load of 800 deg Celsius on the top and
bottom surface and 610 deg Celsius on the right and left surface.
Temperature on the outer surface is kept at 35 deg Celsius.
Set up the required solution to be calculated as Temperature and
generate the contour.
Run the simulation.
 Results:

The temperature profile generated is shown below:

Fig: Heat Transfer from Oxygen to wall of chamber.

We can observe a proper thermal symmetry with the average wall

temperature of 650 degrees Celsius after 60 seconds of operation. We now
know the thermal loading expected on the walls of the chamber, so we can
perform static stress analysis on the chamber.

Static Stress Analysis

According to the thermal analysis, the chamber has to withstand 650 degrees
Celsius of thermal loading. In addition to this the chamber also has to
withstand the pressure inside it. The operating pressure is varied from 0.1 to
0.9 bars. In static stress analysis we determine the instantaneous deformation
and stress induced due to the pressure and temperature loading.

Steps in Heat transfer from Working fluid to Chamber:

The steps followed for this simulation is same as it is done above. We take the
inner wall temperature for the chamber obtained from the above simulation.

Define the modelling goals and geometry.

The same geometry of the cut out portion of the chamber is used to
perform static stress analysis. The dimension for the chamber is
100*50*50 mm3 made of mild steel.

Fig: Chamber Walls

Create the mesh.

Mesh Dimensions:

Mesh Geometry Tetrahedral

Nodes 3264

Elements 432

Relevance Center Coarse

Growth Rate 1.2

 Minimum Edge length 4.000 e-003m

Smoothing Medium

Transition Fast

Span angle center Coarse

Table: Mesh Dimensions

Fig: Mesh in chamber

Set up the solver and physical models.

The following steps were followed while setting up the physical model.
The bottom surface of the chamber is constrained, i.e.
displacement on the bottom surface is zero.
Apply the temperature load of 650 deg Celsius on the wall of the
chamber
The pressure outside the chamber is 1 bar and the pressure inside
the chamber is varied from 0.1 to 0.9 bars.
Set up the required solution to be calculated as deformation and
stress induced.
Run the simulation.
Results:
The corresponding stress and deformation was determined for various
operating pressure. The respective contours were generated.
 Fig: Deformation at 0.1
bar

Fig : Stress induced at 0.1

bar

Fig : Deformation at 0.2 bar

Fig: Stress Induced at

0.2 bar
The following trend in deformation and stress induced was seen.

Fig: Pressure to withstand Vs Deformation Induced

 Fig: Pressure to withstand Vs Stress Induced

From the above graphs we can see that the maximum deformation and stress
induced on the chamber is at 0.1 bar of 1.247 mm and 1.6254 GPa
respectively. This occurs because at the chamber pressure of 0.1 bars the walls
of chamber have to withstand higher pressure difference compared to others.
In the similar way we can see the decreasing trend of deformation and stress
induced as the pressure increases.

The tensile yield strength of mild steel is 210 GPa. The stresses induced are
very negligible compared to the yield strength of the structure. Thus the given
5 mm thickness of the ionization chamber will be able to withstand the applied
pressure and temperature.