Structural Stress Simulation of a 5,200 Cubic Foot Covered Hopper Railcar Design
Technology Category
- Analytics & Modeling - Digital Twin / Simulation
Applicable Industries
- Railway & Metro
- Transportation
Applicable Functions
- Product Research & Development
- Quality Assurance
Use Cases
- Manufacturing Process Simulation
- Transportation Simulation
Services
- Hardware Design & Engineering Services
- Testing & Certification
About The Customer
BNSF Logistics LLC is a registered engineering firm that specializes in railcar design, stress analysis, wind turbine blade transport, and cargo securement. With over 100 collective years of experience in the rail industry, BNSFL is a trusted name in the field. They are known for their innovative solutions and commitment to delivering high-quality services to their clients. In this case, a new customer approached BNSFL with a request for a stress analysis on their covered hopper design. When it was determined that significant structural changes were needed to meet industry standards, the customer expanded the scope of work to include both the modified CAD design and supporting stress analysis.
The Challenge
In the rail industry, hardware testing is a costly and time-consuming process, often limited to research and development at the Masters and Ph.D. levels. This level of detail is often unnecessary and cost-prohibitive for typical railcar manufacturing. However, as more railcars are phased out due to service age, there is a growing demand for new railcar designs. Freight transit by railcar is favored by many companies due to its low cost per high volume shipment. A new customer of BNSF Logistics LLC (BNSFL) requested a stress analysis on their covered hopper design. When it became clear that significant structural changes would be needed to meet the Association of American Railroads (AAR) requirements, the customer requested a larger scope of work beyond FEA verification. BNSFL was then tasked to deliver both the modified CAD design and supporting stress analysis. The success of the project depended on simulation to demonstrate the railcar’s structural integrity.
The Solution
BNSFL, in collaboration with ANSYS, was able to deliver a reliable railcar design to the customer. ANSYS was specifically chosen as the simulation solution for its ease of model integration from other CAD software, advanced features for linear and nonlinear analysis, reliability in precision and accuracy, and its industry reputation as a leader in structural simulation. ANSYS provided a reliable way of receiving stress feedback from the original CAD model, allowing a quick turnaround process. This helped deliver an on-time drawing package to the customer and presented an alternative means of verification that is significantly more cost-effective than traditional hardware testing.
Operational Impact
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