Context:

This post is to present the functionality CATIA Hub team has developed to create Stiffeners on HVAC Ducts for Marine & Offshore Industry customer.

Description:

Functionality/Uses of Stiffener:

Large ducts are used to carry air and flue gases to and from industrial processes and can be subjected to a variety of loading conditions. To maintain the structural integrity of the ducts, stiffeners are attached to the casing to form a more rigid frame. Stiffeners protect the duct casing by reducing the unsupported span of the plate, hold the original shape of the duct, and are used for overall duct support or restraint.

Types of Stiffeners:

Two types of stiffeners which customer uses:

1. Circumferential Stiffeners- They are placed along the circumference of HVAC duct and are dependent on length of the duct.
2. 

1. Guide plate Stiffeners-     They are located inside the duct, directed along the length and dependent on width and height of the duct.       
   • Flatbar Stiffener
   • Both Side Flatbar Stiffener
   • Angle Stiffener
   • Both Side Angle Stiffener
   • Plate Stiffener
   • Both Side Plate Stiffener
   • 

Requirements from Customer:

Automate the process of stiffener creation.

1. Automation should traverse all the ducts available in multiple spools and instantiate stiffeners if design conditions demands creation of stiffeners on duct/s in given spools. 
2. Automation to instantiate stiffeners only in selected spool.
3. Deletion of all the stiffeners from all the spools in Product or within single spool.
4. The above three points have to be implemented for both Circumferential and Guide Plate stiffeners.
5. Stiffeners to be created as structural part/product using 'Structure Design Application'.
6. Stiffeners to be instantiated only on straight section of duct.
7. User should have feasibility to change Parameters while instantiating stiffeners. (Example: Distance between stiffeners, Profile Size etc.)
8. Generate an excel report if there are ducts which do not satisfy certain design conditions.

Provided Solution:

In order to create stiffeners on various ducts of different sizes, multiple Engineering templates depending upon stiffener types are modelled.

As customer does not have KAC role we could not create a customized UI to capture designer inputs. In order to work around this limitation and to enable creation of stiffeners in single click we provided commands, depending upon stiffener types, using “Action as a Command” functionality. 

1. Commands for Circumferential Stiffeners.
2. Commands for Guide plate Stiffeners.

 Provided solution reduces time required in placing multiple stiffeners.

KBE Elements used:

1. User defined Feature.
2. Engineering Templates.
3. EKL Actions.

Challenges:

1. Figuring out the orientation of HVAC duct.
2. Positioning and Orienting the Structure Design Parts.
3. Managing all selections and retrieving input values with EKL Action UI.

Solution Re-usability:

Stiffeners are also used as splitters in ducts to assist fluids or gases.

This solution can be definitely used in various other industries where HVAC ducts are routed. 

Following are the industries identified based on our knowledge.

1. Infrastructure, Energy & Materials
2. Cities, Construction and Territories

Participants:

                CATIA Hub Team 

                DS, India Geo Team 

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