Case Study: Mechanical Solutions, Inc. achieves hurricane-ready, vibration-safe pumping platforms with ANSYS Mechanical

Structural Analysis Helps Predict Vibration for Pumping Platforms

Mechanical Solutions, Inc. was contracted to evaluate and upgrade pumping station platforms in flood-prone New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, needing to identify and fix vibration and structural issues before construction and prior to the next hurricane season. To meet this tight deadline and mitigate the risk of costly post-construction modifications, MSI used ANSYS and specifically ANSYS Mechanical to simulate the vibrational response of the platform under high-power pumping equipment.

Using ANSYS Mechanical, MSI imported equipment models, built a detailed structural dynamic mesh (~5 million DOF), applied substructuring to reduce complexity, and ran modal and harmonic response analyses with virtual sensors and acoustic checks. The ANSYS-based simulations verified the platform would not experience excessive vibration at key locations, and when Category 2 Hurricane Gustav struck in 2008 the platforms and pumps performed as predicted, successfully helping to control flooding.

Mechanical Solutions, Inc.

Vladimir Skidelsky

Project Engineer