Early vibration tests indicated that reinforcements were necessary for the radome cover for the new Pathfinder radar system. A swept-sine vibration analysis identified the resonant modes causing the problems. This allowed us to identify the most efficient placement of strengthening ribs to be added to the moulding. The major mode was thus increased in frequency and the stress observed were reduced to acceptable levels.
Some products require regular updating, to retain their competitive edge.
The product development focus is on improving quality and value rather than originating totally new concepts. An example of this is the motorsport racing wheels produced by Dymag, the leading British manufacturer racing wheels for both cars and motorcycles. Designing and manufacturing racing wheels is an exacting business, and any technology that optimises the product needs to be exploited. Any changes that are made to the product have to be exhaustively tested, and because of the short lead times in our industry, design modifications tend to be incremental. We needed to implement several changes to our Formula One wheels, and FEA gave us the confidence to make all these changes.