Comparativo entre método empírico e analítico por meio da aplicação da análise de elementos finitos em uma comporta hidráulica

Abstract

The study developed in this work aims to make a comparison between two design methods of hydraulic gates, an empirical method used by a manufacturer of hydromechanical equipments and an analytical method by applying the finite element method (FEM). For this, a calculation script was made to design the main structural components responsible for supporting the hydrostatic stresses applied to the gate. Through this script, a case study was carried out on a hypothetical situation to design the components and then check the main stresses. After that, a model of the gate geometry was designed for the FEM application, thus subjected to a computer simulation to verify the principal stresses and deformations in its components. The results analyzed were the allowed maximum bending stresses and deformation in the horizontal beams, and the maximum comparison stresses in the facing plate of the gate. The results were presented in a comparative table between both methods and discussed later. The comparison showed that the results obtained by the computer simulation are closer to real life situations compared to the empirical method, since the components of the gate are verified together, rather than separately as in the empirical method.