SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR MATERIAL LIFE PREDICTION

• US 20120185224A1
• Filed: 01/14/2011
• Published: 07/19/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/14/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Procter & Gamble Company
• Original Assignee: The Procter & Gamble Company
• Inventors: Allende-Blanco, Mel, Macura, Matthew Joseph, Coe, Richard George, GUMMALLA, Rakesh
• Granted Patent: US 8,825,457 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 703/6
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 17/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2111/10 Numerical modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2119/04 Ageing analysis or optimisation against ageing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/20 Design optimisation, verification or simulation optimisation, verification or simulation of circuit designs G06F30/30
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/23 using finite element methods [FEM] or finite difference methods [FDM]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling

Abstract

Included are embodiments for predicting an expected life of a pliable material. Some embodiments of a method include modeling, by a computing device, the pliable material and simulating strain on the pliable material, wherein simulating strain on the pliable material includes creating a strain results file. Similarly, some embodiments of the method include identifying, from the strain results file, a point of strain energy density on the pliable material, accessing a life prediction curve associated with the pliable material to determine a material file, and creating a strain-material file by combining the strain results file and the material file. Still some embodiments of the method include executing software to predict the expected life of the pliable material and predicting the expected life of the pliable material.

Claims

1. A method for predicting an expected life of a pliable material, comprising:

modeling, by a computing device, the pliable material;

simulating a strain on the pliable material, wherein simulating strain on the pliable material includes creating a strain results file;

identifying, from the strain results file, at least one point of strain energy density on the pliable material;

accessing a life prediction curve associated with the pliable material to determine a material file;

creating a strain-material file by combining the strain results file and the material file;

executing software to predict the expected life of the pliable material; and

predicting the expected life of the pliable material.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the pliable material includes at least one of the following:

a rubber material, a polymer material, and a silicone material.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising predicting an expected life of all regions on the pliable material and wherein identifying the at least one point of strain energy density comprises utilizing a finite element analysis on the pliable material.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining an effect of an available design space to determine a procedure for increasing the expected life of the pliable material, wherein the available design space includes a pillar height from about 10 microns to about 180 mm, a diameter from about 5 microns to about 170 mm, a tip radius from about 2 microns to about 170 mm, a draft angle from about 0 degrees to about 80 degrees, and a pillar spacing from about 5 microns to about 13 mm.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining an effect of available material space to determine a procedure for increasing the expected life of the pliable material.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the pliable material is utilized in at least one of the following processes:

embossing, rotary sealing, bonding, and calendaring.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the pliable material comprises a plurality of distinct layers.

8. A computing device for predicting an expected life of a pliable material, comprising:

a memory component that stores a first program, a second program, and a third program such that, when the third program is executed, the third program causes the computing device to perform the following;

electronically model the pliable material;

electronically simulate strain on the pliable material, wherein electronically simulating strain on the pliable material includes creating a strain results file;

identify, from the strain results file, a point of strain energy density on the pliable material;

access a life prediction curve associated with the pliable material to determine a material file;

create a strain-material file by combining the strain results file and the material file; and

predict the expected life of the pliable material.

9. The computing device of claim 8, wherein the pliable material has a shore A value ranging from about 0 to about 99.995 and includes at least one of the following:

a rubber material, a polymer material, and a silicone material.

10. The computing device of claim 8, wherein the third program further causes the computing device to predict an expected life of all regions on the pliable material, and wherein identifying the point of strain energy density comprises utilizing a finite element analysis on the pliable material.

11. The computing device of claim 8, wherein the third program further causes the computing device to determine an effect of an available design space to determine a procedure for increasing the expected life of the pliable material, wherein the available design space includes a pillar height from about 10 microns to about 180 mm, a diameter from about 5 microns to about 170 mm, a tip radius from about 2 microns to about 170 mm, a draft angle from about 0 degrees to about 80 degrees, and a pillar spacing from about 5 microns to about 13 mm.

12. The computing device of claim 8, wherein the third program further causes the computing device to determine an effect of available material space to determine a procedure for increasing the expected life of the pliable material.

13. The computing device of claim 8, wherein the pliable material is utilized in at least one of the following processes:

embossing, rotary sealing, bonding, and calendaring.

14. The computing device of claim 8, wherein the pliable material comprises a plurality of distinct layers.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable medium for predicting an expected life of a pliable material that stores a first program for modeling the pliable material, a second program for predicting the expected life of the pliable material, and a third program that, when the third program is executed, causes a computing device to perform the following:

model the pliable material;

simulate strain on the pliable material, wherein simulating strain on the pliable material includes creating a strain results file;

identify, from the strain results file, a point of strain energy density on the pliable material;

access a life prediction curve associated with the pliable material to determine a material file;

create a strain-material file by combining the strain results file and the material file; and

predict the expected life of the pliable material.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the pliable material includes at least one of the following:

a rubber material, a polymer material, and a silicone material.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the third program further causes the computing device to determine an effect of an available design space to determine a procedure for increasing the expected life of the pliable material, wherein the available design space includes a pillar height from about 10 microns to about 180 mm, a diameter from about 5 microns to about 170 mm, a tip radius from about 2 microns to about 170 mm, a draft angle from about 0 degrees to about 80 degrees, and a pillar spacing from about 5 microns to about 13 mm.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the third program further causes the computing device to determine an effect of available material space to determine a procedure for increasing the expected life of the pliable material.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the pliable material includes a plurality of distinct layers.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the pliable material is utilized in at least one of the following processes:

embossing, rotary sealing, bonding.