Clips for an air filter box were continually snapping off in service. An FEA analysis was performed to determine if a change in material was necessary, and what material would be appropriate to use.
Mesh refinement around higher stress areas.
Knowing that the clip had to move 9.5 mm to unlatch, it was determined that 27.3 lbs of force was required to fully unlatch the clip for the current material, 20% glass filled polypropylene.
The factor of safety for the 20% glass filled polypropylene clip, set at 1.5, shows where the failure was being seen in the field.
Failure location as seen in the field.
The 20% glass filled polypropylene von Mises Stress plot shows stress areas as high as 121 MPa.
It was determined that Nylon PA Type 6 would be a better choice for material. The displacement plot (still set for 9.5 mm) showed that only 15 lbs of force is required for removal of the air box ( a 12 lb reduction when compared to the original material).
The Nylon PA Type 6 material meets the factor of safety of 1.5.
The Nylon PA Type 6 von Mises stress plot shows a maximum stress of 80 MPa (a reduction of 40 MPa when compared to the original material).
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FEA Analysis
A clip for an air filter box was continually snapping off in service. An FEA analysis was performed to determine if a change in material was necessary, and what material would be appropriate to use.
