The required loading was pressure around the outer diameter of the bearing and inside the shaft due to
water pressure. Pressure was applied to the under side of a cap incorporated on the shaft inner diameter
to simulate the tension force on the shaft caused by the platform buoyancy. Radial deflection was applied
to the center node on the shaft cap to cause rotation about the natural focal point, with a resulting
deflection of 15 degrees
Since the component is circular and the radial deflection is only in one plane, a 180 degree FEA model can
be used. The plane of symmetry was modeled as zero deflection in the "Z" direction to avoid the contact
checking on a symmetrical contact surface. The material model was a two coefficient Mooney-Rivlin.
The animation model shows the flex element being deflected from 0 to 15 to 0 degrees while being
subjected to the specified pressures, tension loading and radial deflection.
The following video shows results from the analysis
Video of Laminated Flex Joint analysis.
Note: the ZIP files download faster than the AVI file. After downloading, you must unzip the file with a program, such as
WinZip or
PKzip. Then choose "File | Open" from your web browser's menu. Find the unzipped file and open it with the web browser. Click on the image to see the video.
