Realistic design processes must integrate service loading, shape and material in order to avoid the pitfalls likely to be encountered by considering any one area in isolation. To optimise the design and manufacture of components and equipment to meet operational demands, it is essential to know the service loads they will experience and interpret these in terms of their effect on durability.
Efficient and reliable computer methods integrated into the design process now offer rapid appreciation of the effects on component durability due to dimensional and material changes.
This paper highlights the important role played by these techniques at GKN by reference to a number of case histories.
