Prioritizing Safety in Design and Use

Hazard Identification & Risk Assessment

The initial step in any product safety program is identifying potential hazards. These can range from material failure (e.g., brittle plastics, corrosion of metals) to design flaws leading to instability or unintended use.

Our simulation allows you to systematically assess these risks by varying parameters like load, temperature, and material properties. Quantifying the likelihood and severity of a hazard is crucial for informed decision-making.

Risk = Probability x Severity

Material Selection & Failure Modes

Choosing appropriate materials is fundamental to product safety. Different materials exhibit distinct failure modes under stress – fracture, creep, fatigue, and buckling are common examples.

The simulation allows you to model these behaviors by selecting materials with specific mechanical properties (Young's modulus, tensile strength, Poisson’s ratio) and subjecting them to various loading conditions.

σ = Eε  (Stress = Young’s Modulus * Strain)

Design for Safety – Redundancy & Fail-Safe Mechanisms

Designing products with built-in safety features significantly reduces the potential consequences of failure. This includes redundancy (multiple components performing the same function) and fail-safe mechanisms.

The simulation can model these systems, allowing you to assess their effectiveness in mitigating hazards. For example, a braking system could be simulated to evaluate its response under various conditions.

N = 2 * k + 1 (Redundancy – where N is number of components, k is failure rate)

Human Factors & Usability

Product safety isn't solely about the physical design; user behavior plays a critical role. Poor usability can lead to misuse and increased risk.

While our current simulation focuses on mechanical aspects, integrating human factors – such as ergonomic considerations and clear instructions – is vital for comprehensive product safety analysis. Future expansions will incorporate these elements.

Frequently asked questions

Try it live

Everything above runs in your browser — open Bridge Structural Analysis and change the parameters while it is running. Nothing is installed, nothing is uploaded, the whole model lives in one tab.