Shape Optimization Design and Material Selection for a Fitness Equipment

Abstract

Engineers face constant challenges to design products with optimal geometry, dimensions, and select optimal materials and manufacturing process for an optimal design to enhance product performance and reduce cost. This paper designed a bar structure for a light and cheap pull up bar. Ashby’s material selection method was used to select material for the two conflicting objectives of minimizing weight and cost and also satisfy the structure constraint. An FEM model was built in ANSYS for stress analysis of the bar structure and for geometry optimization. The optimized geometry was found to have a 30% weight reduction.