Structural analysis of a trailer design

Container transport

Dennison Trailers, based in Naas, Co. Kildare, is a leading manufacturer of semi-trailers for the container transport sector in both Ireland and the UK. The company services many other markets including construction, timber, steel and oil industries. In Ireland and the UK, Dennison dominates the cargo container skeletal trailer market. Throughout its history, Dennison has been an innovative company, with continuous research and development being at the core of the business. As a result, it has had a strong competitive advantage in terms of new product development.

Structural analysis

Dennison was interested in carrying out a detailed structural analysis for its trailers. With that in mind, they approached the SEAM Gateway. In 2018, the Gateway contributed to the company’s research and development programme by performing an in-depth structural analysis. SEAM built a detailed Finite Element Analysis (FEA) model of a trailer design which was used to predict its stress and strain response under operating load conditions. Using its expertise in structural analysis and the results of the FEA model, SEAM was able to provide a comprehensive assessment of the trailer behaviour and design capacity.

Irish company

50+

year in business

direct-funded project

The Dennison & SEAM partnership

The detailed picture of the trailer performance made possible by the use of FEA allowed SEAM to make several design optimisation recommendations. The additional insight provided to Dennison Trailers is currently being incorporated into the company’s design process. SEAM uses engineering simulation and analysis to solve problems across a wide variety of industries. SEAM has expertise in structural analysis involving FEA, as well as Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) for the analysis of fluid flow phenomena. The application of these analysis techniques has resulted in cost reductions for SEAM’s client companies through reduction in physical prototyping, improved operating performance, and improved product lifespan.

“In 2018, we partnered with SEAM, through Ramesh [Raghavendra] and WIT, to produce an FEA analysis of an existing trailer design which had been displaying early failures in the field. Through their analysis we were able to identify problem areas and rectify the issues with the initial design. We found SEAM to have a great technical knowledge and be highly cost effective. We are looking forward to partnering with them again in the near future.”

Ronan Lambe – Senior Design Engineer, Dennison Trailers

Structural analysis of a trailer design

Container transport

Structural analysis

The Dennison & SEAM partnership

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