Structural Optimization of Pump Support

Small team to design and analyze a structural support system for a centrifugal pump used in flood mitigation applications. The system must mount a pump head to a fixed frame while withstanding loads from the pump weight and belt-driven pulley system. The design is required to deliver 150 GPM of water to a height of 18.29 m while maintaining structural integrity, limiting deflection to less than 1 mm, and achieving a minimum factor of safety of 1.5. Additional constraints include using corrosion-resistant materials, incorporating at least two support arms to resist torsion, and staying within geometric and budget limitations.

Used hand-calculations and Maple code to perform static analysis and solve for forces and/or moments at every support. Performed FEA study on linkage arms to determine the minimum thickness within the desired factor(s) of safety for yielding. For the base plate, a more rigorous topology optimization was employed to give insight into the distribution of non-critical sections. These were cut out from the aluminum plate. The result was a very lightweight, asymmetric structure that only deformed 0.4mm under maximum test loading.