Optimized Alcoa Bearing Bracket V1.2

grabcad

Ardhia here, presenting my third submission for the challenge! I've managed to reduce weight/volume by 72.34% (a 2% improvement over my previous attempt). While working on this project, I discovered a peculiar anomaly in SolidWorks (2012 version): when saving as *.STEP format and re-opening it with SolidWorks, the FEA analysis results in higher stress levels (varying from 0.5-2.5%). Despite using identical load cases, mesh settings, etc., this discrepancy persists even though the geometry is the same (one original SW/*.SLDPRT and the other imported *.STEP). If anyone can shed light on this issue, I'd greatly appreciate it. To illustrate stresses in my presentation, I used data from the *.STEP file (which had higher values), meeting all challenge requirements. As the challenge nears its end, I'll also share the native SolidWorks files for community examination. Feedback and questions are welcome! Cheers, Ardhia