Failure analysis and breakage in parts: How to avoid costly design errors?

Failures in parts can arise due to various factors, including overloading, vibrations, design defects, and impact failures. Identifying these causes is essential to improve design reliability and prevent costly manufacturing errors.

• Overloading: Occurs when a part withstands more force than it was designed for, potentially causing permanent deformations or fractures. Tools like CalculiX allow for static analysis to assess stress distribution and ensure that the part meets structural requirements before manufacturing.
• Vibrations and resonance: Mechanical oscillations can cause failures when they match the natural frequencies of a part, leading to excessive deformations or loosening of joints. In structures subjected to dynamic loads, such as machinery bases, poor design can amplify vibrations and reduce system lifespan. Through modal analysis in CalculiX, critical frequencies can be identified and the geometry optimized to avoid dangerous resonances.
• Design defects: Poorly optimized geometries can create stress concentrations in critical areas, reducing mechanical resistance and increasing the likelihood of failure. Poorly designed joints, excessively small fillet radii, or abrupt section changes can act as weak points. Simulations help detect these issues and enable redesigns for better stress distribution.
• Impact failures: Some parts must withstand shocks without suffering structural damage. In products like protective packaging, device enclosures, or structures exposed to collisions, insufficient impact resistance can cause internal damage or premature failure. Using OpenRadioss, high-speed impact simulations can analyze energy absorption and optimize designs to improve resistance without increasing weight or production costs.

A poor design not only compromises a part’s functionality but can also generate high repair, replacement, and legal liability costs. Failures in production can severely affect small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), impacting profitability and reputation.

• Production stoppages: An unexpected failure can halt a manufacturing process, causing delays and increasing operational costs.
• Recall and rework costs: If a failure is detected after delivery, the product may need to be recalled or modified, incurring additional material and labor expenses.
• Legal claims: In safety-critical industries, failures can result in lawsuits that impact a company’s financial stability.
• Loss of customers and reputation: A history of failures may drive customers to seek more reliable alternatives, reducing a company’s competitiveness.

Simulation software allows failures to be predicted and avoided before manufacturing, improving design efficiency and reducing development costs. Additionally, many industry regulations require products to meet specific strength tests, making simulation essential for ensuring compliance.

• Stress and deformation analysis (CalculiX): Identifies high-stress concentration areas and verifies structural resistance under static loads.
• Modal and vibration analysis (CalculiX): Detects natural frequencies that can generate resonance and affect structural stability.
• Impact simulation (OpenRadioss): Evaluates a part’s resistance to shocks or falls, enabling design optimization to absorb energy without fracturing.
• Geometric optimization to avoid stress concentrations: Through iterative simulations, critical areas with high stress accumulation can be detected, allowing for redesigns that better distribute stress.

To minimize the risk of part failures, it is essential to follow a structured design and validation approach. Applying best practices from the early stages of development enhances safety and efficiency.

• Applying safety factors: Ensures that parts withstand variations in operating conditions.
• Load, vibration, and impact testing: Before mass production, physical tests should validate the part’s real-world behavior.
• Design review and failure analysis: Implementing collaborative review processes with engineers and experts allows weaknesses to be detected before manufacturing.
• Combining simulation with physical testing: While digital tools provide accurate predictions, it is always advisable to validate results through experimental testing.