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Modeling & Structural Analysis of Screw Jack

Article · June 2022

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Aashish Gyawali
Jain University
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Modeling & Structural Analysis of

Screw Jack

Abstract
This study aims to give brief information about the Screw jack and its structural analysis. This
project is about drawing components and preparation of assembly models of screw jack. A screw
jack is a portable device consisting of a screw mechanism used to raise or lower the load. A
screw jack is a device that is used to lift and support a heavy load in automotive vehicles, such as
a car. Generally, human effort is required to rotate the screw; sometimes it becomes difficult to
move the screw jack from one place to another due to its heavyweight. In this work, we have
tried to reduce the weight of the jack body by creating holes in the body. So that the screw jack is
easy to port and will increase the human comfort while handling the screw jack. This study aims
to give brief information about mesh generation and mesh generation scheme is operated by the
computer. In this report, there are given an overview of a Finite Element mesh method and mesh
generation in ANSYS by using SolidWorks with the computer. In this report, the purpose is to
facilitate the solution of a differential equation. The Objects of the screw jack have to be
converted in the computer to the mesh structure before the rendering application has been done.
However, the primary field of use is analyzing them with the finite element method.

Introduction to Screw Jack

Screw jacks are an ancient concept but just as relevant today as ever before. It is a device
that is used to lift and support the weight using rotational motion into push-pull linear motion
using screw square thread. It is a portable device consisting of a screw mechanism used to raise
or lower the load. It is commonly used to lift moderately heavyweights, such as car trucks to
repair or change the damaged parts inside; to raise and lower the horizontal stabilizers of aircraft;
and as adjustable supports for heavy loads, such as to uplift the houses from their foundations.
The rotational motion can be provided manually or electrically using motors. There are two types
of jacks most commonly used, Hydraulic and Mechanical.

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Fig.1 Screw Jack

In a screw jack, a small force is applied in the horizontal plane, used to raise or lower a large
load. The efforts required in achieving the desired output can be effectively and economically
decreased by the implementation of better designs. When the load is placed on the head, it can be
lifted and down by rotating the lever arm or handle in the clockwise direction and vice-versa.
This rotation causes to climb up and down the linear pitches or threads and thus load moves up
and down with less effort applied. There are stresses like shear and tensile stresses induced in
materials that are responsible for the failure of the screw jack. A screw jack must consist of an
adequate factor of safety and must be of high mechanical advantage so that it can withstand
sudden jerks which are unexpected.
The screw jack consists of-
• Body
• Cup
• Screw Spindle
• Threaded Nut
• Tommy Bar
• Washer
• Screw

Applications for screw jacks are extremely diverse, but the following is an indicative list:
moving platforms on theatre stages; settings on woodworking machinery; alignment of
radio telescope dishes (Fig.2); plastics processing machinery; height-adjustable platforms

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in manufacturing industries; handling systems in the nuclear industry; and adjustable

manufacturing equipment that enables different product lines to be processed. This is
why screw jacks are fundamental equipment in the mechanical industries.

CATIA
CATIA is an acronym for the computer-aided three-dimensional interactive
application. The first release of CATIA was back in 1977 by Dassault Systèmes, who still
maintain and develop the software. It was initially developed for use in designing the
Dassault Mirage fighter jet. It is a multi-platform software suite for computer-aided
design (CAD) computer-aided manufacturing (CAM), computer-aided engineering
(CAE), 3D modeling, and Product lifecycle management (PLM). Since it supports
multiple stages of product development from conceptualization, design, and engineering
to manufacturing, it is considered a CAx-software and is sometimes referred to as a 3D
Product Lifecycle Management software suite. This software is commonly used in
manufacturing industries and Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) to increase the
designing, analyzing, and managing of new products. Nowadays, the most widely used
version is CATIA V5, with CATIA V4 still being used in some industries, mostly in
conjunction with V5

Fig.2 CATIA V5 Interface

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CATIA encourages product designing and user experience by involving several

perspectives in product design creation and allowing multiple options to enhance their
default tools throughout the process of product development. Thus, this software serves
best for industrial and creative designers, system architects, and mechanical engineers.
This software also provides a 3D design atmosphere that allows social and online sharing
of product designs and collaborations on product modeling. It is used for the creation and
management of sophisticated mechanical projects, including part design, sheet metal,
tooling, assembly design, functional tolerances and annotations, kinematics and fitting
simulation, DMU review, advanced surface design, and more. It adds even more
functionality to molded part creation, advanced freeform, and stylized surfacing.

Besides being used in a wide range of industries from aerospace and defense to
packaging design, CATIA has been used by architect Frank Gehry to design some of his
signature curvilinear buildings, and his company Gehry Technologies was developing
their Digital Project software based on CATIA. Computer-Aided Design is most
employed by Engineers to help create, modify and/or analyze graphical representations of
product designs. Its applications stretch across a multitude of industries due to its many
popular benefits. CAD software innovation continues to improve the quality of design
through greater accuracy and the reduction of design errors. CAD software is also
capable of improving communication due to the centralization of design data and
documentation, creating a single source of truth for engineers and manufacturers.

CATIA has capabilities in multiple domains. The majority of users do not require all
functionalities available in CATIA, which has significant cost impacts on the user or
organization. They allow the user to perform different tasks such as part modeling,
assembly modeling, surface modeling, sheet metal part design, etc.

Finite Element Analysis and ANSYS

The Finite Element Analysis (FEA) regards the modeling of products and
systems in a virtual environment aiming at locating and solving potential structures or
performance issues. It is the process of simulating the behavior of a part or assembly
under given conditions so that it can be assessed using the finite element method (FEM).
FEA is the practical application of the finite element method (FEM), which is used by
engineers and scientists to mathematically model and numerically solve complex
structural, fluid, and multi-physics problems and also used to find the stress distribution
for complex geometries. With the use of mathematics, it is possible to understand and
quantify structural or fluid behavior, wave propagation, thermal transport, and other
phenomena.

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Most of the processes can be described using partial differential equations (PDEs), but
these complex equations need to be solved for parameters such as stress and strain rates
to be estimated. is a general numerical method for solving partial differential equations in
two or three space variables (i.e., some boundary value problems). FEA allows for an
approximate solution to these problems. The simulations used in FEA are created using a
mesh of millions of smaller elements that combine to create the shape of the structure that
is being assessed. Each of these small elements is subjected to calculations, with these
mesh refinements combining to produce the result of the whole structure.

The practical application of FEM is known as finite element analysis (FEA). FEA as
applied in engineering is a computational tool for performing engineering analysis. It
includes the use of mesh generation techniques for dividing a complex problem into
small elements, as well as the use of software coded with a FEM algorithm. In applying
FEA, the complex problem is usually a physical system with the underlying physics such
as the Euler–Bernoulli beam equation, the heat equation, or the Navier-Stokes equations
expressed in either PDE or integral equations, while the divided small elements of the
complex problem represent different areas in the physical system.

In commercial FEA software, this procedure is typically arranged into the following
phases
• Preprocessing(Build FEM models, define element properties, and apply loads and
constraints)
• FEA solver (assemble and solve the FEM system of equations, calculate element
results)
• Postprocessing(sort and display the results)

Fig.3 ANSYS Interface

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The user interface of ANSYS software is so user-friendly. A project schematic, that is, a
graphical representation of the workflow, can be built by dragging predefined analysis
templates or other components from the Toolbox and dropping them into the Project
Schematic window.” Drag” here means to move the mouse while holding down the left
mouse button and “drop” means to release the mouse button. To build a project for static
structural analysis, for instance, drag the static structural template from the toolbox and
drop it into the rectangular box that appears in the project schematic.

The menu bar is the horizontal bar anchored at the top of the workbench user interface. It
provides access to the following functions:

1. File menu: Create a new project, open an existing project, save the current project,
and so on.
2. View menu: Control the window/workspace layout, customize the toolbox, and so
on
3. Tools menu: Update the project and set the license preferences and other user
options
4. Units Menu: Select the unit system and specify unit display options.

The Toolbox contains the following four groups of systems.

a)Analysis systems :
Predefined analysis templates to be used to build projects, including static structural,
steady-state thermal, transient thermal, fluid flow, modal, shape optimization, linear
buckling, and many others.

b)Component systems:
Component applications that can be used to build or expand an analysis system include
geometry import, engineering data, mesh, post-processing, and others.

c) Custom systems:
Coupled-field analysis systems such as fluid-solid interaction, prestress modal, thermal-
stress, and others

d)Design exploration:
Parametric optimization studies such as response surface optimization, parameters
correlation, six sigma analysis, etc.

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Static structural contains different cells which need to be worked on. They are described
below:

• Engineering data: Define or edit material models to be used in an analysis

• Geometry: Create, import, or edit the geometry model used for analysis
• Mesh: Assign material, define a coordinate system, and generate mesh for the
model
• Setup: Apply loads, and boundary conditions, and configure the analysis settings.
• Solution: Access the model solution or share solution data with other downstream
systems
• Results: Indicate the result’s availability and status(also referred to as
postprocessing)

Its application area includes civil engineering, aircraft engineering, thermal conduction,
geomechanics, hydraulics, water resources engineering, nuclear engineering, biomedical
engineering, biomechanics, composite materials, casting, machine tools, etc. There is
different finite element analysis software such as ANSYS, OpenFoam, Simscale,
Autodesk CFD, Robologix, etc.

ANSYS is one of the software for finite element analysis. It is owned by Ansys, Inc.
which is an American company based in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania. It develops and
markets CAE/Multiphysics engineering simulation software for product design, testing,
and operation and offers its products and services to customers worldwide. Ansys Fluent
is the industry-leading fluid simulation software known for its advanced physics
modeling capabilities and industry-leading accuracy.

Ansys develops and markets engineering simulation software for use across the product
life cycle. Ansys Mechanical finite element analysis software is used to simulate
computer models of structures, electronics, or machine components for analyzing the
strength, toughness, elasticity, temperature distribution, electromagnetism, fluid flow, and
other attributes. Ansys is used to determine how a product will function with different
specifications, without building test products or conducting crash tests.

Most Ansys simulations are performed using the Ansys Workbench system, which is one
of the company's main products. Typically, Ansys users break down larger structures into
small components that are each modeled and tested individually. A user may start by
defining the dimensions of an object, and then adding weight, pressure, temperature, and
other physical properties. Finally, the Ansys software simulates and analyzes movement,
fatigue, fractures, fluid flow, temperature distribution, electromagnetic efficiency, and
other effects over time.

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Modeling of screw jack using CATIA

Screw-jack consists of different components which are modeled individually. These

components must be modeled with perfect dimensions so that proper assembly takes
place and the screw jack is prepared. The components with their proper dimension are
shown in the figure below.

Fig.4: Dimensions of Screw jack

These models are drawn on part design module in CATIA software. The units are set to
Millimeter Newton second by using the menu Setup-Units-mm Ns. The proper
description of the modeling of the screw jack is as follows.

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Part no:1 – Body

Firstly, a sketch window is opened which asks for a reference. The planes concerning
which the dimensions are placed are chosen. Then sketching is done as per the given
shape and dimensioning is done as per the requirements. An axis is drawn where the
section is axisymmetric using the created center lines in the sketcher. Then using revolve
tool command and setting the angle of revolution of the sketch around the axis as 360
degrees, the Body is created. The diagram of the body drawn in CATIA is shown below:

Fig.5 - Body

Part no:2 – Nut

The nut is a small flat piece of metal or other material, typically square or hexagonal,
with a threaded hole through it for screwing onto a bolt as a fastener. Sketching is done as
per the given shape in fig 4 . Similarly, an axis is drawn and revolved around 360 degrees
with revolve option. The nut is threaded with a pitch of 10 mm. It is shown below.

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Fig.6 Threaded Nut

Part no:3 – Screw Spindle

A screw spindle is a device that has a helical function while the spindle is (spinning) a
rod used for spinning and then winding natural fibers (especially wool), usually
consisting of a shaft and a circular whorl positioned at either the upper or lower end of
the shaft when suspended vertically from the forming thread. Sketching and revolving are
done as same as the above parts. A hole of 12 mm diameter is drawn. Similarly, another
hole diameter of 6 mm is created in the top portion of the screw spindle where the thread
diameter is 6.6 mm, tread depth is 30 mm, and pitch is 1mm. Thread is created in the
bottom part of the screw spindle as shown in the figure below.

Fig.7 Screw Spindle

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Part no:4 – Cup

The first feature of the Cup is created by revolving the cross-section of the Cup shown in
fig.4. The sketch is done as per the shape and also an axis is drawn where the section is
axisymmetric using the center lines options in the sketcher. A hole of 22 diameters is
made on the bottom of the part. The cup part modeled in CATIA is shown below.

Fig.8 Cup

Part no: 5 – Washer

The washer is a small flat ring made of metal, rubber, or plastic fixed under a nut or the
head of a bolt to spread the pressure when tightened or between two joining surfaces as a
spacer or seal. The sketch window opens asking for a reference, where the planes
concerning which, the dimensions are placed are chosen. Then the sketch revolved to 360
degrees. The next feature is a chamfer at the edges of the circles. The washer modeled in
CATIA is shown below.

Fig.9 Washer

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Part no: 6 – Screw

The screw is a short, slender, sharp-pointed metal pin with a raised helical thread running
around it and a slotted head, used to join things together by being rotated so that it pierces
wood or other material and is held tightly in place. Sketching is done as per the given
shape and dimensioning is done as per the requirements. It is shown below.

Fig.10 Screw

Part no: 7 – Tommy bar

A Tommy bar is a cylindrical iron or steel bar used as a lever. In the sketch window, the
sketch is made as per the dimensions and geometry shown in Fig 4. A similar procedure
is followed such as revolving 360 degrees. The next feature is a chamfer at the joint of
two features. The fig below shows the modeling of Tommy bar in CATIA V5.

Fig.11 Tommy Bar

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Assembly :

Assembling of the parts is carried out in a separate file. The screw jack body is first fixed
using plane constraints. Different seven components described above are assembled
which in total makes a screw jack. They are assembled using an assembly design module
that allows the design of assemblies with an intuitive and flexible user interface. The
options such as move(which allows moving the component in any specified direction),
coincident constraint(which coincident the axis of the components), and contact
constraint(which enables contact surfaces/points of components), etc. make the assembly
design of CATIA easier. The figure below shows the assembly design of the screw jack
assembled with seven different components described above.

Fig.12 Screw Jack (Assembly product)

Fig.13 Front view, Top View of Screw Jack

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Structural analysis of screw jack

The design of a product that used to be done by tedious hand drawings has been replaced by
computer-aided design(CAD) using computer graphics. Analysis of a design used to be done by
hand calculations and many of the tests have been replaced by computer simulations using com
computer-bioengineering (CAE) software. Ansys is an analysis software.
There is very much need for such analysis such as to reduce product development cycle time,
reduce the cost of the product, idle time reduction, better design, and alternate materials, and
reduce material wastage. The finite element method or FEA is based, on dividing a complicated
object into smaller and manageable pieces. FEA provides a way of virtually testing a product
design. It helps users understand their designs and implement appropriate design changes early in
the product development process.
Over the last few decades, many commercial programs have become available for conducting
FEA. Among a comprehensive range of finite element simulation solutions provided by leading
CAE companies, ANSYS workbench is a user-friendly platform. It offers bidirectional
connection to major CAD systems. The Workbench environment is geared toward improving
productivity and ease of use among engineering teams.
This project deals with the study of the screw jack which is used for lifting heavy automobiles.
Solid finite element methodology to the real objects or continuum such as liquid or gas,
connected, is described with a finite element called subsections. These elements are connected to
the special point called the point node to each other. Node points are generally located in places
that restrict element elements that are attached. It is not known how variables such as
temperature, speed, and pressure are changed it is assumed that they can be expressed
approximately with their simple functions.
For example, replacing grievous implications for each of the solid models are directly related to
the displacement of nodes. Displacement of nodes is associated with the stress of the element.
The finite Element Method tries to resolve displacements in these nodes. Thus, stress has
approximately equal to the applied load. These nodes must be fixed in the form of still certain
points. Finite Element Method defined requirements for nodes translates into algebraic linear
equations, the equations are solved before and tries to find the real stresses in all elements. As a
result, if so, the model is divided into several elements that give more realistic results than the
load applied to the elements.
Among different finite element software, we have chosen ANSYS for structural analysis of the
screw jack. The steps are described below.

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1. Determining the element type and Material Properties.

Firstly, the engineering data are entered in the ANSYS workbench. The package of the
material properties is entered. For example, the elastic modulus of elasticity of isotropic
material properties for analysis, such as Poisson's ratio, and density characteristics is
entered. The material properties for the screw jack are shown below:

These properties are then entered in the engineering data cell of the ANSYS workbench
as shown below.

Fig.14: The specifications are entered such as Cast iron etc.

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2. Drawing/Importing parts of the model:

Now after the material properties are entered, geometric shapes are then needed to be
imported. It is better to draw the shape of the model in any cad software and import into
ANSYS. In our case, we have modeled the screw jack in CATIAv5. The same part is
imported into the ANSYS workbench as shown below:

Fig.15 Model is inserted into ANSYS workbench.

3. Employing Materials to different parts of the screw jack

As we have set different material properties for different parts and also, we’ve imported
geometry, we need to assign the material property to different parts of the screw jack.
This can be done from a material section of the model cell. The different parts are
represented with different colors. Here the Frame and cup are given as Cast Iron FG200.
Similarly, the screw is given as Carbon Steel AISI 1018. The handle is set as Plain
Carbon Steel.

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Fig.16 Parts with different properties of screw jack

4. Generating Mesh
After determining element properties, the model is broken down into smaller
components. That is the model mesh. The simulations used in FEA are created using a
mesh of millions of smaller elements that combine to create the shape of the structure that
is being assessed. Each of these small elements is subjected to calculations, with these
mesh refinements combining to produce the result of the whole structure. Some software
packages do this automatically. Mesh generation software package as the user can also
automatically gives the possibility to generate the mesh. The program (ANSYS) also
supports the user to make changes on the mesh automatically generated.

Fig.17 Meshing on Screw jack

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5. Boundary conditions:
Now different supports and forces are needed to be employed on the model to study the
static structure of the screw jack. Fixed support is applied on the body of the screw jack
as the screw jack is always placed on the earth’s surface. Similarly, two forces of
magnitude 8000N and 6000 Newton are applied as shown in the figure below.

Fig.18 Support and Forces on Screw Jack

6. Solution
After different procedures, a proper solution is obtained from which we can study static
structural analysis of the screw jack. In this project, we have studied equivalent stress and
strain energy. The problem is solved by previously entered parameters in the next step.
The results were obtained after analyzing the problem, depending on the effect of initial
conditions, and applying them with different graphics and animation.

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• Equivalent Stress :
Equivalent stress is a scalar derivative of shear strain energy per unit volume
measured at different points in a stressed material and helps in determining the
likelihood of the failure of the said material according to the Von Mises failure
criteria.

Fig.19 Equivalent stress on Screw jack

• Strain Energy:
Strain energy is defined as the energy stored in a body due to deformation. Its
analysis is shown below.

Fig.20 Strain Energy on Screw Jack

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Results and Conclusions

A proper screw jack part and assembled screw jack are drawn on CATIA v5. this
software serves best for industrial and creative designers, system architects, and
mechanical engineers. This software also provides a 3D design atmosphere that
allows social and online sharing of product designs and collaborations on product
modeling.
Similarly, the Finite element method has become a basis for industrial engineering
design and analysis. It is becoming larger and more complex design is simulated
using the finite element method. It encourages the development of finite element
automatic mesh generation algorithms prevalence of methods. Finite Element
Modeling and simulation allow for the investigation of the static structural
analysis of a screw jack under different load conditions. The analysis of design
with more elements would be very difficult to produce by hand when needed and
it was understood that the mesh will take a lot of time. Producing mesh made by
hand with the development of computer technology has begun to put into
operation the computer.

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