🏗️ Structural Analysis — Overview
Structural Analysis is used to evaluate the strength, stiffness, and stability of components and assemblies under applied loads, ensuring safe and reliable performance under real operating conditions.
At Swakshat Analytics, structural simulations are carried out with a focus on real loading environments — combined gravity, acceleration, pressure, and contact conditions — interpreted with engineering judgment and validated against material limits and design standards.
Real project outcome: Our FEA of an industrial equipment skid identified a critical stress concentration at a weld zone before fabrication — preventing a potential shutdown and significant rework cost for the client.
- Von Mises and principal stress distribution
- Total and directional deformation
- Factor of safety mapping
- Buckling load prediction
- Fatigue life assessment
- Code compliance (IS 800 / PNGRB / ASME)
Von Mises Stress — Industrial Equipment Structure
🔷 Engineering Approach
CAD Preparation
- CAD model preparation and simplification (defeaturing)
- Weld zone modelling
- Named selections / regions
Material Definition
- Elastic modulus, Poisson's ratio, density
- Yield strength and UTS values
- Bilinear / multilinear plasticity for nonlinear cases
Meshing
- Solid / shell elements based on geometry type
- Local refinement at welds and stress risers
- Mesh quality checks (skewness, aspect ratio)
Loads & BCs
- Force, pressure, gravity, acceleration loads
- Fixed, remote, and displacement boundary conditions
- Bonded, frictional, and no-separation contacts
Solver Execution
- Linear static solver for routine cases
- Nonlinear solver for contact / large deformation
- Convergence monitoring and force residuals
Post-Processing
- Equivalent (von Mises) stress contours
- Principal stresses (σ₁, σ₂, σ₃)
- Total deformation and displacement
- Reaction forces and load paths
Results are interpreted with engineering judgment and compared against material limits and design standards to ensure safe and reliable performance.
Static FEA — Stress Distribution Under Steady Load
Static Structural Analysis
Evaluation of structures under steady loading conditions — the foundation of structural design validation. Provides complete stress and deformation state under applied loads.
What is evaluated:
- Von Mises and principal stress distribution
- Total and directional deformation
- Factor of safety distribution
- Critical stress concentration zones
Applications:
- Equipment frames and skids
- Structural supports and load-bearing members
- Industrial assemblies and fabricated structures
Static structural result
Nonlinear FEA — Large Deformation, Contact
Nonlinear Structural Analysis
Simulation of structures under real-world complex conditions where standard linear analysis is insufficient — capturing large deformations, contact behaviour, and material plasticity.
Nonlinearities addressed:
- Large deformations and rotations
- Contact interactions (frictional, frictionless)
- Material nonlinearity (plasticity, yielding)
Applications:
- High-load structural conditions
- Contact-dominated assemblies
- Failure prediction and post-yield scenarios
Nonlinear result 1
Nonlinear result 2
Buckling Analysis — Critical Load Factor
Buckling Analysis
Prediction of structural instability and critical buckling loads — essential for slender structures, thin-walled components, and columns where compressive loads may cause sudden collapse.
What is evaluated:
- Critical buckling load multiplier
- Buckling mode shapes
- Safety margin against instability
Applications:
- Thin-walled structural members
- Columns and support members
- Pressure-loaded cylindrical components
Buckling result
Transient Structural — Time-Varying Load Response
Transient Structural Analysis
Evaluation of time-dependent structural response under varying loads — where inertia effects are significant and the structural response evolves over time.
What is evaluated:
- Time-history stress and deformation
- Inertial load effects
- Damping and dynamic amplification
Applications:
- Dynamic loading conditions
- Impact and shock load scenarios
- Time-varying force systems
Transient result 1
Transient result 2
Fatigue Life — S-N Curve, Life Prediction
Fatigue & Life Assessment
Prediction of component life under repeated cyclic loading — identifying regions prone to fatigue failure before they manifest in service.
What is evaluated:
- Fatigue life (number of cycles to failure)
- Damage index distribution
- Safety factor against fatigue failure
Methods:
- Stress-life (S-N) approach for high-cycle fatigue
- Strain-life for low-cycle fatigue
- Goodman mean stress correction
Applications:
- Automotive and rotating components
- Welded structural connections
- Vibration-induced fatigue assessment
Fatigue result
Impact & Explicit Dynamics
Simulation of high-speed, short-duration events involving large deformations and material failure — where implicit solvers are insufficient due to the extremely short time scales.
What is evaluated:
- Peak impact stress and deformation
- Energy absorption and plastic collapse
- Structural integrity post-impact
Applications:
- Drop test simulation
- Collision and crash scenarios
- Safety validation and certification
Design Validation — Code Compliance Check
Design Validation & Code Compliance
Validation of designs against engineering standards and safety criteria — ensuring your equipment meets regulatory requirements and industry codes before fabrication or deployment.
Standards applied:
- IS 800 — structural steel design
- PNGRB regulations — CNG cascade and pressure systems
- ASME — pressure vessel and piping
- IS 1893 — seismic code compliance
Applications:
- Industrial equipment regulatory validation
- Load case verification against acceptance criteria
- Code-based stress allowable checks
Code compliance result
🔷 Typical Outputs
Every structural project delivers a complete, documented result package.
| Deliverable | Description | Format |
|---|---|---|
| Stress Contours | Von Mises, principal stresses, annotated with critical regions | PNG / PDF |
| Deformation | Total and directional deformation under each load case | PNG / PDF |
| FoS Map | Factor of safety distribution — identifies under-designed regions | PNG / PDF |
| Load Paths | Identification of critical stress regions and load path visualization | PNG / PDF |
| Reaction Summary | Foundation and support reaction forces tabulated per load case | Excel / PDF |
| Engineering Report | Full methodology, BCs, results, code compliance check and design recommendations |
🔷 Industry Applications
Mobile CNG Cascade
Structural validation under transport loads per PNGRB regulations — combined gravity, acceleration and pressure loads.
Equipment Frames & Skids
Full FEA of process equipment support structures — identifying weld stress concentrations before fabrication.
Foundation Analysis
Load transfer from equipment into foundation — bearing pressure distribution and settlement risk evaluation.
Pressure Vessels
Structural integrity check per ASME / IS standards — nozzle loads, thermal and pressure combined loading.
Heavy Engineering Structures
Columns, beams, trusses and frames under combined loading — IS 800 compliance check.
Oil & Gas Systems
CNG cascade, pressure system structural analysis — meeting regulatory requirements before deployment.
🎯 Structural Analysis at Swakshat Analytics
Ensuring that designs are safe, reliable, and optimised, with a strong emphasis on real-world loading conditions and engineering validation — positioned as a serious engineering consultancy, not a generic service provider.
Validate Your Structure Before Fabrication
Share your CAD file and loading conditions — we deliver a complete stress analysis report within 5–10 working days.