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Introduction
Bosses are protuberances on a plastic part designed E
to add strength, to facilitate alignment during assembly, to
provide for fastening, etc.[1] Currently, many boss design
practices are standardized and follow set guidelines. These
guidelines are tailored for manufacturing; therefore, the C D
optimal design for the application may not be used. The
purpose of this research is to develop a design synthesis
methodology for plastic boss design. This methodology and
the use of parametric design software will help optimize the A B
design for the application. y
x
Methodology
The standard design of bosses generally follow z
guidelines with set dimensions proportioned to the nominal Figure 2: Part with multiple bosses and coordinate system
thickness of the main parts. These dimensions are tailored
for manufacturing to prevent sinks and aid in proper cooling. Descriptions of the bosses are as follows:
These are important issues to consider in boss design, but • Boss A: corner boss with orthogonal flanges
some flexibility is possible and is in fact necessary for • Boss B: corner boss integral to side walls
optimal performance. Illustrated below is a standard guide • Boss C: remote boss with four orthogonal tapered
for boss design from the GE Plastics Design Guide.[2] Many gussets
other sources list a comparable diagram with similar • Boss D: remote boss with tapered outer diameter
relations. • Boss E: Corner boss with one flange
1
Currently a Gann Fellowship Graduate student at Worcester Polytechnic Institute
dimension for the next trial. After each value is the distance from the center the force is applied, y, and the
corresponding trial number for that parameter change. These moment of inertia, I.
values were chosen to demonstrate any trends in stress
M⋅y
increase and to prevent excessively thin walls. All Bending Stress: Sb =
dimensions are given in terms of centimeters. I
O.D. = 1.016cm I .D.
Table 1: List of Parameter Changes Where: y=
I .D. = 0.508cm 2
Parameter Min.
(cm)
Nominal
(cm)
Max.
(cm) I=
π
64
(
⋅ O.D.4 − I .D.4 ) M = Be ⋅
H
2
Outer Diameter 0.787 (3) 1.016 (1) 1.270 (2) Therefore: Sb = 2.2 MPa
Inner Diameter 0.254 (4) 0.508 (1) 0.737 (5)
Boss Height 1.651 (6) 1.905 (1) 2.159 (7) Tension
Base Radius 0.051 (8) 0.076 (1) 2.159 (9) Tension and compression were applied along the
inner surface of the boss as a true force. This distributed
Boss Size 0.254 (10) 0.508 (1) 0.762 (11) force roughly simulates the effect on the boss of the pull-out
The load characteristics were broken down into force from a screw, or the compressive force due to
four basic situations. First, bending (in four directions) was supporting components on the boss. Stress due to tension is
investigated to simulate part alignment during assembly. calculated from the applied force, F, and the cross-sectional
Tension and Compression load were applied, which area, A.
For Standard Boss
simplified the effects of screw pull-out force and clamping
h=H-t H=1.905 cm
force. The torsion showed the effects of applying and
H T=0.381 cm
releasing a screw. Finally, the pressure, which would result
from press-fit pins or self-tapping screws, was set along the t h I.D. = 0.508 cm
inner surface. The loading was assumed to be at the initial Te = equivalent
load to T
loading and stress characteristics, before fatigue, stress-
relaxation, or creep occurred. The applied loads were kept = 44 N
low to insure that the material reacted well below the yield
point of Lexan, which is 62 MPa. As a result, all of the loads T = Tension load
= 44 N True Force
remained under the proportional limit of 28 MPa for Lexan, (Distributed load) O.D. = 1.016 cm
which is the limit in which the Young’s Modulus is valid.
For all tests the bending, tension and compression forces
were set to 44.5 Newton, the applied torsion was 1.1 N-m, Figure 4: Applied and equivalent Tension load
and the pressure was 69 kPa. Rough calculations of the F
stress applied on a simple boss can be determined by using Tension Stress: St =
strength of material theories. These calculations are A
illustrated below for bending, tensile, torsional, and internal
pressure loadings.
Where: F = Te A=
π
4
(
⋅ O.D.2 − I .D.2 )
Therefore: St = 0.73 MPa
Bending
For Standard Boss Compression is determined in the same manner, but with the
h=H-t H=1.905 cm force operating in the opposite direction.
T=0.381 cm
H Torsion
For Standard Boss
t h h=H-t H=1.905 cm
H T=0.381 cm
H/2
t h I.D. = 0.508 cm
B = Bending Load
= 44 N True force
(Distributed load) Te = equivalent
load to T
= 1.1 N-m
Be = equivalent load to B
= 44 N O.D. = 1.016 cm
T = Torsion load
Figure 3: Applied and equivalent Bending Load = 1.1 N-m True Force
applied Tangentially
The bending force was applied over the entire (Distributed Load around inner
length of the boss as a Pro/MECHANICA true force. The diameter and along length of boss)
bending equations are based on simple bending theory, with
Be, the equivalent bending load used to determine the
bending stress at the base of the boss. Bending stress is Figure 5: Applied and equivalent Torsion load
determined from the moment about the end point, M, the
The torsion was applied as a set of four tangential using a linear solver. In this respect, it operates purely
forces acting on the inner diameter and along the entire elastically in regards to the reaction to loading. Some
length of the boss. This produced an equivalent torque on analyses did not completely converge on the maximum Von
the boss that simulated the application or release of a screw Misses stress value, but did satisfy the requirement of 10%
into the boss. The stress due to the torsion is based on the convergence. [4]
equivalent torque, T, the radius at which the stress is
determined, r, and the polar moment of inertia, J. Results and Discussion
T ⋅r Stress Results
Torsion Stress: St = Results were compiled from the completed
j
analyses and organized on an Excel spreadsheet, available
Where: T = Te = 1.1N ⋅ m r = 0.508cm(max) from the author. Only the Maximum Von Misses Stress was
π O.D I .D. 4
4 examined for the purpose of this analysis. Each boss type
J= ⋅ − was first analyzed using the standard dimensions, and then
2 2 2 each type was modified to the minimum and maximum range
Therefore: St = 5.85 MPa of the parameters listed above. The analysis was then
renamed and run again with the altered parameters, as
Pressure Load discussed in Table 2. An analysis summary was created of
Pressure was applied radially along the length of each load, with the changes that occur from each boss type
the boss as a true force. Pressure vessel theory was used to and parameter change.
approximate the stress due to the pressure load. This theory Figures 7, 8, and 9 illustrate the changes in stress
is not very accurate for this application because it is based on for standard boss types under various load sets. Figure 7
the assumption of thin walls, which the bosses do not have. shows the compiled results of the bending loads on the
The stress was calculated based on the pressure, p, the inner standard boss types. The stress varies according to the
radius, ri, and the wall thickness, t. orientation and reinforcement of the bosses relative to the
For Standard Boss coordinate system. Please refer to Figure 2 for the
h=H-t H=1.905 cm orientation of the bosses relative to the coordinate system.
T=0.381 cm
H Figure 7 illustrates the differences in bending stress per boss
topology. It can be observed that the stress value for a given
t h I.D. =0.508 cm
boss varies under different bending load directions. This
variance is due to the presence of support on one or more
sides of the boss. Small differences can also be observed
between forces that geometrically should result in equal
stress values. This difference is due to the fact that
O.D. = 1.016 cm Pro/MECHANICA analyses linearly and that the elements
composing the boss are not geometrically equal.
P = Pressure load
= 69 kPa True Force Max Von Misses Stress per Load set and Boss
applied Radially Type
(Distributed Load around inner
diameter and along length of boss) 450.00
400.00
Boss
350.00 Type
Figure 6: Applied Pressure load
300.00 a
p ⋅ ri
Sp =
b
Pressure Stress: 250.00
c
t 200.00 d
I .D.
p = 69 kPa ri = 150.00 e
Where:
2 100.00
t = 0.508cm 50.00
0.00
Bend_X Bend_nX Bend_Z Bend_nZ
Therefore: Sb = 0.03 MPa Load Set
Many bosses have ribs, or are integrated into a Figure 7: Stress per boss and bending load
wall. With this additional geometry, the stress analysis
becomes more complicated. The basic stress analyses above Examining Figure 2 shows that Boss A is
are based on a simple, straight boss. For geometries close to supported by two ribs. These ribs provide support for
this type of boss, these analyses may result in a good bending forces in the negative X and positive Z directions.
approximation. For more complicated geometries, the use of In this direction a portion of the stress is carried by the ribs
a finite element analysis tool is recommended. For this study and wall as the boss is pushed toward the wall. In the
Pro/Mechanica was used to analyze the stress occurring in opposite directions the boss is being pulled from the wall and
the bosses. Pro/MECHANICA analyses the solid elements the ribs are placed in tension. Boss B shows similar
characteristics but at a much lower stress due to the added Max Von Misses Stress per Boss Type under
Pressure Load
support from the wall.
Bosses C and D both have similar load 25.20