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Apollo Engineering's IoT Solution for Wheeled-Bobsled Redesign
Technology Category
- Sensors - Torque Sensors
Applicable Industries
- Metals
Applicable Functions
- Product Research & Development
Use Cases
- Virtual Prototyping & Product Testing
Services
- Hardware Design & Engineering Services
- Testing & Certification
The Challenge
Apollo Engineering was tasked with the challenge of re-engineering the aging, four-person wheeled-bobsled vehicles at Park City, Utah, which were providing a rough, uneven ride to the customers. The original design of the bobsled consisted of a two-piece fiberglass body connected by a steel yoke bolted to both pieces. The body design necessitated a long and poorly supported yoke. The challenge was further complicated by significant changes to the wheels and suspension system of the bobsled, including the removal of an axle in the middle of the vehicle, to produce a smoother ride. This meant that the yoke had to be redesigned and the forces on it had to be re-evaluated to ensure that it could withstand the stress, strain, and fatigue for safety purposes.
About The Customer
Apollo Engineering is a reputable engineering and design firm known for providing high-quality engineering services at a reasonable price. The team boasts an extensive engineering background in a variety of industries, including investment casting, design of aircraft landing gear, heavy construction vehicles, autonomous vehicles, robotics systems, and amusement rides. The staff includes Professional Engineers licensed in the state of California for Mechanical engineering. Their expertise and innovative approach to problem-solving have made them a go-to solution for complex engineering challenges.
The Solution
Apollo Engineering utilized ANSYS Mechanical to perform a strength calculation on the yoke for a particular load case. They compared the stress to yield strength and performed structural simulations on the redesigned yoke to determine stress, strain, and fatigue for particular load cases. The fatigue strength obtained by simulation was compared to the AWS code for steel. The team iterated on the design of the steel yoke connector and ran strength and fatigue simulations again on ANSYS Mechanical until a viable design was achieved. This approach allowed Apollo Engineering to virtually test hundreds of variations of the yoke shape and thickness in a week to arrive at an optimal design.
Operational Impact
Quantitative Benefit
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