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Press Release, Sheffield, UK, 20 November 2008
Users will already be familiar with the new version of fe-safe v5.4-04 which was released at the beginning of the summer. This release introduced many new features and enhancements including enhanced data handling, usability and analysis methods, speed improvements, new file interfaces as well as a new release of the Verity® in fe-safe™ add-on module.
Ongoing developments and the roadmap for 2009 will introduce many more exciting new features and enhancements, including:
Press Release, Sheffield, UK, 20 November 2008
NACCO Materials Handling Group, Inc ("NMHG") has adopted fe-safe™ and the Verity® in fe-safe™ module, from Safe Technology Ltd. The software will be used to predict the durability of welded structures, castings and individual components in order to provide an understanding of fatigue life earlier in the development process.
fe-safe™ is an advanced suite of durability analysis software for Finite Element models and was chosen due to its strong technical foundation and comprehensive capabilities for identifying fatigue hotspots and predicting fatigue life. NMHG considers the Verity® structural stress method incorporated into fe-safe™ to be the most advanced weld fatigue analysis methodology currently available.
fe-safe™ and Verity® in fe-safe™ will be used by NMHG’s Virtual Test Group.
About NACCO Materials Handling Group, Inc
Based in the USA, NACCO Materials Handling Group, Inc . designs, engineers, manufactures, sells, services and leases a comprehensive line of lift trucks, including warehouse trucks, counterbalanced trucks and large capacity cargo and container handling trucks, and aftermarket parts marketed globally under the Hyster® and Yale® brand names.
About Safe Technology Ltd
Based in the UK, Safe Technology Ltd is a privately owned company dedicated solely to the development and sale of the fatigue analysis software suite, fe-safe™. fe-safe™ and its specialist modules are sold and supported directly by offices in the UK and the USA and by a worldwide network of independent distributors.
Press Release, Sheffield, UK, 10 November 2008
“The quality of the papers just get better and better!”
SimuTech
“Safe Technology do go out of your way to put on a first class UGM! Thanks for your efforts. See you in 2010”.
Eaton Automotive
Safe Technology held the 4th fe-safe™ International User Group Meeting on Tuesday 14th October, 2008, at Michigan State University, Management Education Center, MI, USA.
The event was a great success providing another technically advanced and highly valuable day for our community of users. We were delighted to welcome another prestigious keynote speaker, renowned fatigue specialist, Prof Gregory Glinka.
Professor Glinka has acted as a United Nations expert. His research interests include fracture of materials, fatigue of structures, multiaxial fatigue and creep of engineering materials, computer aided design, FEM-elastic-plastic stress-strain analysis and reliability. His recent research activities concern modeling of fatigue crack growth under random loading and fatigue optimization of welded structures. Professor Glinka has published over 120 related articles in technical journals and textbooks. He is currently a professor at the University of Waterloo.
“It's very pleasing to see so many of our customers and potential customers taking the time to come to our User Conference. We are delighted to provide this forum to give our users the opportunity to share experiences to help increase fatigue knowledge and understanding of fe-safe™, its capabilities and its applications.The meeting again saw lots of cross-industry discussion about the successful application of fe-safe™ to a wide range of components and designs.” said John Draper, CEO, Safe Technology Ltd.
Keynote Paper:
User Papers:
These papers were complemented by ‘Feature Focus’ sessions presented by Safe Technology engineers to highlight the corresponding methodology in fe-safe™ and Verity® in fe-safe™.
Safe Technology also presented papers on new features and future developments, approximating materials data for thermo-mechanical fatigue and how to integrate fatigue analysis into your design process.
The User Conference focused on presenting examples of real life fatigue problems and showing how fe-safe™ users and Safe Technology are working together to help face these challenges. The UGM was followed by two classes:
Practical fe-safe™ Training Class by Ian Mercer, Dr Radwan Hazime and Dr Pawel Sobczak
This two-day class provided hands-on tutorials and practical examples on how to set up and import models into fe-safe™, set up your loadings and run various analyses in fe-safe™. The class was aimed at current and soon-to-be fe-safe™ users.
Strain-based Fatigue Theory by John Draper
This one day seminar focused on the two core aspects of modern fatigue analysis theories: strain-based fatigue and multiaxial fatigue. It was aimed at engineers wanting to gain a deeper understanding of strain based fatigue concepts and how they relate to real world engineering problems. A familiarity with the basic concepts of fatigue is assumed for this class.
The next fe-safe™ User Group Meeting will be in Spring 2010, we hope you can join us!
click here to download proceedings
Press Release, Sheffield, UK, 23 July 2008
There have been major advances in methods of fatigue life estimation over the past 30 years. Allowable stresses can now be estimated to an accuracy of a few percent. Much of this knowledge is available in research papers but is not readily available to designers. This new publication is intended to bridge the gap between research and design by providing a concise introduction to modern methods of fatigue analysis as well as the more traditional methods.
The contents have been developed as course notes for training courses presented in Europe, North America and Asia to engineers who need to apply fatigue knowledge in engineering design, fatigue testing and failure investigation. The book will also be of value to academics and undergraduates on mechanical engineering courses.
The book assumes no prior knowledge of metal fatigue. It introduces the concepts of strain-based fatigue analysis and the more traditional S-N curve methods. Modern theories of multiaxial fatigue are described, together with their application to strain gauge measurements and fatigue analysis of finite element models. There are chapters on statistical analysis, crack propagation, and fatigue of welded steel joints. The final chapters discuss the merits and disadvantages of different types of fatigue tests, and aspects of practical fatigue analysis. Throughout the book the emphasis is on practical application.
About the author:
John Draper worked as a fatigue design specialist in the aircraft industry, then as a project manager in British Rail R&D Division for fatigue research projects, and failure investigation projects using service strain measurement.
He formed Safe Technology Limited in 1987 to develop fatigue analysis software from strain gauges and FE models, and provide fatigue –related consultancy services.
He has supervised SMART award projects and teaching company schemes in fatigue. He acts as a consultant to companies in a wide range of industries, including ground vehicles, medical equipment, diesel engines, wind energy and welded fabrications. He is a regularly invited presenter at conferences in the UK, Europe, Asia and the USA.
He is Chairman of Safe Technology Limited, past Chairman of the Engineering Integrity Society and the Ground Vehicle Instrumentation Group, and an Honorary Visiting Professor to Sheffield Hallam University.
REVIEW By Professor Andrew Sherry, Director, Materials Performance Centre, and Director, Nuclear EngD Centre University of Manchester
John Draper’s book Modern Metal Fatigue Analysis provides a highly readable and comprehensive introduction to the study of fatigue behaviour of metals and alloys for students, a description of the details of fatigue assessment methods for the design engineer, and includes a level of detail that expert practitioners will find useful. The book opens with a general description of the key elements of fatigue crack initiation and propagation under cyclic loading. With clear figures, a clarity of description, and many practical examples, the book outlines the material response to simple and complex cyclic loading.
Modern Metal Fatigue Analysis opens with an overview of hysteresis, stress concentration and crack closure. Fatigue test methods are described and engineering approaches for the assessment of fatigue are presented. This includes a summary of data requirements, a description of the rainfall method, and an overview of stress concentration factors for notches. The tools available to the design and structural integrity engineer for considering fatigue under uniaxial, biaxial and triaxial stress states are described, including simple engineering approaches on the one hand and more complex finite element analysis on the other. A description of the treatment fatigue crack growth is also provided with characteristic clarity. This incorporates an overview of the principles of linear elastic fracture mechanics including an overview of the meaning and application of the stress intensity factor.
Finally Modern Metal Fatigue Analysisaddresses issues relating to the statistical analysis of fatigue behaviour, issues associated with the analysis of welds (including residual stresses), the use of the power spectral density diagram (auto-spectral density), and the concept of cumulative damage. The book includes an appendix describing the Verity® mesh-insensitive structural stress method for fatigue analysis of welded joints.
John Draper has succeeded in providing a comprehensive, readable and clear scientific textbook on fatigue and fatigue assessment that materials science and engineering students, design engineers and structural integrity practitioners will find extremely useful.
Copies of the book can be purchased from the EMAS website.
Press Release, Sheffield, UK, 10 June 2008
Safe Technology Ltd (UK) has appointed Exemplar as re-seller of its fatigue analysis software tools in Italy.
Exemplar, Torino, Italy, will sell fe-safe™, the advanced suite of software for fatigue analysis from FEA. “fe-safe™’s high-end fatigue analysis capability fits well with Exemplar’s total engineering solution portfolio,” said Exemplar President, Fabrizio Trentini. “We are commiteed to adopting innovative software solutions that enable designers to achieve success in highly competitive markets, and one way of achieving this is by partnering with the world’s leading engineering software development organizations like Safe Technology.”
Exemplar’s experienced team offer software solutions, training, support and engineering services including Linear and Static Analysis, Termal & Structural Analysis, Optimization, CFD and Fatigue Analysis.
Safe Technology’s CEO, John Draper, said: “Exemplar and Safe Technology’s customers represent a diverse range of industries. Safe Technology’s success in fatigue design and life assessment in the ground-vehicle, medical, machine design, defence and academic sectors around the world complements Exemplar’s expertise in providing software solutions in these sectors in Italy.”
About Exemplar srl
Exemplar’s experienced team operates in the field of innovative services to companies by selling the software products for PIDO & CAE of the most important international software houses.
Exemplar supplies solutions with a high added value, offering methodologies based on customer specific requirements. Located in Turin (Italy) in the Incubator I3P of the University "Politecnico di Torino" and also linked to other Universities, emphasizing the strong connection between Exemplar and the world of Research and Technological Innovation.
See the resellers page for Exemplar's contact details.
Press Release, Sheffield, UK, and Graz, Austria, 18 March 2008
AVL has launched a new tool called EXCITE Fatigue to complete the workflow for durability analysis of engines and power units based on the simulation software suite EXCITE. EXCITE Fatigue is powered by the fatigue analysis software fe-safe™ developed by Safe Technology Limited.
The partnership between AVL and Safe Technology allows for the effective combination of the leading edge technology found in both the AVL EXCITE software package and fe-safe™. EXCITE Fatigue has been designed to provide an efficient and accurate fatigue analysis capability for high cycle fatigue conditions. The user is able to apply a range of loading conditions, choose from a selection of stress based fatigue algorithms and use the standard fe-safe™ materials database. Users will also be able to define different materials and influence factors for different element groups. High temperature fatigue analysis is included. What this means to the user is optimized design and test programmes, reduced prototype test times, product recalls and warranty costs – all with increased confidence that product designs pass their test schedules as “right first time”.
The integration of EXCITE Fatigue into AVL’s durability and NVH analysis platform is a further step in providing the users with the simulation capabilities needed to gain reliable results within a short project lead time. It enables the users to calculate excitation loads close to actual loads and perform advanced fatigue analysis for engine components integrated in the design process.
“AVL and Safe Technology are two very like-minded companies in that we are both technology and industry led. The partnership will enable us to offer our customers a unique and unrivalled type of analysis”, said John Draper, Managing Director, Safe Technology Ltd.
Gotthard Rainer, Vice President of AVL’s business unit Advanced Simulation Technologies, states: “Safe Technology has proven to be a competent and professional partner, specialising in fatigue and durability software development and application. The integration of EXCITE Fatigue into our durability and NVH platform is a further step in providing our users with the simulation capabilities needed to gain reliable results within a short project lead-time.”
About AVL
AVL is the world’s largest privately-owned and independent company for the development of powertrain systems with combustion engines, instrumentation and test systems as well as mathematical simulation software. The high-tech company AVL employs 3640 people worldwide. Close contact with the client is guaranteed through affiliates and representatives in all major countries worldwide. Turnover in 2006 was 537 million Euro.
AVL EXCITE is the leading mathematical simulation software suite for durability and NVH analysis of entire powertrain systems and components. Outstanding physical and mathematical models enable the software to be used as a virtual test bench. The concept of a hybrid multi-body system consisting of linear elastic bodies and highly non-linear joints provide calculation results which are very close to the real operating hardware. AVL EXCITE is used by leading automotive companies and engine manufacturers as well as by their component and system suppliers.
See the resellers page for AVL's contact details.
Press Release, Sheffield, UK, 7 March 2008
The February issue of Power Engineering International features fe-safe/TURBOlife™ and looks at how the software can be utilized to prevent plant fatigue failures.
Read the full article here.
Press Release, Sheffield, UK, 3rd March 2008
Altair Engineering are to host safe Technology's Durability by Design seminar and Modern Metal Fatigue Analysis 3 day theory course at their facilities in Troy, Michigan in June.
We are delighted that our long-term partner Altair Engineering will host these events. Safe Technology and Altair have worked together closely since 2000 when Safe Technology first joined the Altair Partners Program. Since then the 2 companies have worked together on a number of events and have worked closely to ensure the tight integration of fe-safe™, Verity® and the Hyperworks™ software suite. Altair offers the ‘Weld Finder’ tool for the speedy application of the Verity® method in fe-safe™ using Hypermesh™. Altair Engineering has also chosen fe-safe™ as their standard fatigue tool for their consultancy group.
Similar events we held at Altair’s fantastic conference facilities in 2006 drew a great crowd so book your place early to avoid disappointment!
See the training page for further details.