Introduction
The aim of this project is to minimize the mass of a butterfly valve. The butterfly valve is divided in 4 subsystems with their own objective functions. My subsystem is the handle of the butterfly valve. The objective is to identify the best dimensions for the handwheel to reduce mass while meeting minimum force requirements.
Approach
3D models of the handwheel with different dimensions were created. The masses of these models were evaluated in SolidWorks. To evaluate the functionality of the handwheel, static studies involving loaded torques were conducted to evaluate maximum von Mises stress and displacement.
As these simulations are time consuming and the mathematics behind the simulations highly complex, metamodels were created to approximate the behavior of mass, von Mises stress, and displacement. Optimization was then conducted where minimizing mass is the objective function with von Mises stress and displacement acting as constraints.
Result
The optimized mass is 489g, representing a 38% reduction in mass compared to the DN400’s original dimensions weighing in at 790g. Further discussions can be found in the full report
