DEFENCE
Of all the sectors we operate in, the Defence sector arguably has the greatest consequences of a failure of equipment or facilities through risk to personnel and the environment – this must be adequately addressed during the design and build phases of your engineering challenges. You can be confident that we have the experience; the systems; the personnel and the security to handle your most complex and sensitive issues.
Across the full remit of engineering analysis conducted at PDL, our clients are looking to reduce risk, whether that be in bringing a product to market on time, ensuring equipment meets the regulatory requirements or that it performs as expected for the expected life. Our de-risking process commences with a description of the product or equipment and its assessment needs, in our documented ‘Analysis Plan’.
We have the experience and the rigour to ensure that this document, and any other lifetime records, are thorough and accurate. The Analysis Plan not only sets out the engineering analysis processes we will undertake but also provides the framework for review and approval activities, in accordance with our ISO 9001:2015 accredited quality management system (QMS). Our analysis does not seek to replace practical testing but complements it. When coupled with our virtual reality (VR) capabilities or conventional post-processing, analysis results can provide far greater insight to the designer than the test data or can exceed test capabilities where timeframes or infrastructure are insufficient.
Solving highly complex and technical challenges is in our nature; we hire great people — typically educated to Masters or PhD level. They have undertaken continued professional development (CPD) through our IMechE Monitored Professional Development Scheme to gain their Chartered status and have a depth of experience in your sector. The range of problems you face and hence the variety of analytical tasks we undertake is vast; here are some recent examples of our work in your sector;
- Explicit Dynamics — the use of ANSYS LS-Dyna on the Warrior Fightability Lethality Improvement Program (WFLIP) to predict spent cartridge ejection trajectories, or the comparative crash testing of truck chassis for the MOD.
- Composites analysis — undertaking practical scale and life-size component testing to develop and calibrate ANSYS Mechanical APDL material models for spall liners and composite tubs for ongoing assessment to STANAG 4569 / AEP-55.
- Shock analysis — assessing compliantly mounted combined diesel-electric and gas (CODLOG) propulsion system components for the Royal Navy Type 26 anti-submarine warfare frigates to the MAP 01-470 Shock Design Manual (2012) and MAP 01-473 for specifics relating to the resilient mountings.
- Modal analysis — assessing the implications of remote weapons station forcing frequencies for the BR90 bridge building platform and supporting the development of a non-resonant structure.
- Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) — assessing the Type 45 exhaust gas temperature signature and supporting the design of the aft Infra-Red Suppression System (IRSS).
- Pressure systems — use of ANSYS Mechanical APDL to validate the design of various elements of the NATO Submarine Rescue Submersible (NSRS) including the main pressure vessel, hatches and conning tower to PD5500 and impact assessment of the battery pods.
- Cranes — PDL has evaluated a significant number of cranes, including the Devonport Royal Dockyard, 14 Dock Reactor Access House (RAH) single failure proof nuclear-rated crane. This facility is used in the decommissioning of the Swiftsure and Trafalgar class of boats and assessment was undertaken to BS 2573-1&2: 1983 – Rules for the design of cranes.
Due to the sensitive nature of your work, we take additional precautions to handle your data — from the application of SC resource through to the infrastructure provided by our List-N facility and our Cyber Essentials assessed networks or by embedding our people in your secure environment.
So, if the risk of your product or equipment failing to meet the brief, or failing in service is intolerable then talk to a PDL engineer today.
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