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Factor of Safety Check

Use the Factor of Safety Wizard to evaluate the factor of safety at each node of your model based on a failure criterion.

You can plot the factor of safety distribution throughout the model, or you can just plot regions of the model with a factor of safety smaller than a specified value to identify weak areas of the design.

Regions with FOS value less than 1 are shown in red (unsafe regions). Blue regions indicate safe regions. FOS distribution

Large factors of safety in a region indicate that you can save material from that region. Many codes require a minimum factor of safety between 1.5 and 3.0.

  • A factor of safety less than 1.0 at a location indicates that the material at that location has failed.
  • A factor of safety of 1.0 at a location indicates that the material at that location has just started to fail.
  • A factor of safety larger than 1.0 at a location indicates that the material at that location is safe.
  • The material at a location will start to fail if you apply new loads equal to the current loads multiplied by the resulting factor of safety, and assuming that the stresses/strains remain in the linear range.

Contents

  • Factor of Safety Wizard

    The Factor of Safety Wizard allows you to assess the safety of your design based on a failure criterion.

  • Performing a Factor of Safety Check

    Use the Factor of Safety Wizard to assess the safety of your design.

  • Failure Criteria

    Failure criteria normally predict the failure of a material subjected to multi-axial state of stresses. The Factor of Safety check assesses the safety of the model based on a selected failure criterion.



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