Dynamic analysis of fabricated housings in process plants

The Fabricated housings of various drives (Transmission and Gear housings) undergo structural vibrations during their operation. Dynamic analysis of such housing is needed in order to avoid near resonant conditions of operation. Initially the study is carried out on simple housings which are rectangular boxes. Finite Element Method is used to determine the natural frequencies of the boxes analytically. Rayleigh's energy method is employed to establish the efficacy of the bending mode results obtained. Experimental verification, wherever possible, is also carried out. Subsequently with specific reference to heavy engineering the study using Finite Element Method is extended to include housings with rectangular and circular cutouts and reinforcing ribs and stiffeners of sizes readily available in the market, to cover the hp range 1 to 6000 and output speed range from 1 to 1500 rpm. The study covers the critical design parameters in housings like length, breadth, height thickness including the influence of ribs and stiffeners. This method is used to provide design guidance for industrial drive housings by integrating the knowledge in machine element design, finite element method and vibration practice.