FEA Structural Analysis of Wall-Mounted Bench Bracket
Project Overview
Evaluated the structural integrity of a wall-mounted bench bracket designed to support a 100kg load using Finite Element Analysis(FEA), validated against analytical beam theory.
Software
- Autodesk Inventor Nastran
Methods
- Linear Static FEA
- Cantilever Beam Theory
- Macaulay’s Method
- Mesh Sensitivity Analysis
Analysis
- Von Mises Stress Evaluation
- Structural Validation
- Mesh Convergence Study
- Worst-Case Load Modelling
Project Details
Modelled a heavy-duty shelf bracket as a cantilever beam subjected to a worst-case point load of 490.5N representing a 100kg distributed load across two brackets.
ASTM A36 low carbon steel material properties were used and applied fixed boundary conditions at the wall-mounted end.
Performed linear static FEA in Autodesk Nastran, identifying maximum stress concentration near the fixed-end fillet region.
Validated FEA results using hand calculations (cantilever beam theory), obtaining an analytical stress of approximately 110MPa.
Conducted mesh convergence study (0.2–10 mm element size), selecting 0.5mm mesh as optimal for accuracy and efficiency.
Confirmed maximum Von Mises stress of ~195 MPa, remaining below yield strength(250 MPa) with sufficient safety margin.
Key Results
- Maximum Von Mises stress of ~195MPa identified at fillet near fixed support.
- Bracket remained within elastic region with adequate safety factor below yield strength.
- Optimal mesh size(0.5 mm) reduced computational time by ~5× compared to fine mesh.
- FEA results closely aligned with analytical beam theory within expected error bounds.
- Confirmed structural suitability of bracket for 100 kg bench load application.
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