![\"Reaction](\"http:\/\/s3-blogs.mentor.com\/roi\/files\/2010\/01\/rear-wing.jpg\")
<\/p>\nReaction forces on a rear-wing of an Indy race car. Image courtesy of Voxdale.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Now predicting force or pressure distribution on a surface should be a key design decision factor in the design of any system in which a moving fluid can cause product reliability, stability and usability issues (I\u2019m including safety under this category because unless it is safe to use, it isn\u2019t really usable now is it?).\u00a0 Force prediction can be used to optimize the geometry or to determine what\u2019s required to support the said structure.<\/p>\n
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Several methods have been used by manufacturers for predicting pressure forces but I always say the one that offers the best combination of speed, affordability and accuracy is Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) software. CFD has proven its efficacy for handling these kinds of problems \u2013 there are plenty of application stories and customer testimonials out there. For example, a team at Watts Industries Netherlands deals with design issues relating to backflow prevention devices and automatic control valves for domestic, commercial and industrial uses of water. They need to be extremely careful because contamination of drinking water could prove disastrous. So they use CFD software to test their designs. And to further verify the results, they create and test physical prototypes. They have been able to obtain exactly the same results from their chosen CFD software as their test rig; thus allowing them to deploy their products to the field with increased confidence. According to Rene Aarntzen, the R&D Engineering Manager at Watts Industries, \u201cFor the past year we have found exactly the same results from FloEFD and our test rig. That\u2019s important because maybe in a few years, after we\u2019ve built an extensive library of results, then we won\u2019t need to build and test physical prototypes anymore.\u201d Personally as a manager, I find any opportunity to save cost without sacrificing quality, safety or purpose a tall cool drink of water on a hot summer day!<\/p>\n
If you are interested in learning more about how to harness reaction forces or to optimize your designs, I would suggest your attending our upcoming online presentation titled: Simulating and Optimizing Reaction Forces<\/a>. The presenter, Nate Hanlon, is one of our consultant engineers based in the States and he has a background in the design of fans, blowers and impellers. So feel free to ask him a few questions. I\u2019m sure he\u2019s got some sage words of advice for everyone. And before I forget, as with all online presentations, anyone who registers for the event will be sent a link to the archived version so even if you can\u2019t attend the meeting at the specified time, you will be able to access the presentation at your convenience after the event.<\/p>\n