Structural Assessment of a Sand-Cast Aluminum Pulley Under Radial Loading Using Finite Element Analysis
Keywords:
Aluminum pulley, sand casting , structural analysis, finite element analysis, ; Von Mises stressAbstract
A pulley is one of the essential components in a power transmission system and must possess adequate structural strength to withstand operational loads. This study aims to analyze the structural behavior of a sand-cast aluminum pulley under various radial loading conditions using the Finite Element Analysis (FEA) method. The research procedure consisted of observing the sand-casting process, measuring the actual dimensions of the pulley, developing a three-dimensional model using Onshape, assigning material properties, and performing structural simulations under radial loads of 100 N, 200 N, and 300 N. The analyzed parameters included Von Mises stress, total deformation, and safety factor. The simulation results revealed that increasing the applied load resulted in a linear increase in both stress and deformation. The maximum Von Mises stress increased from 68.85 MPa under a 100 N load to 206.50 MPa under a 300 N load, while the maximum deformation increased from 0.01943 mm to 0.05828 mm. The highest stress concentration was observed in the keyway region of the pulley hub, whereas the maximum deformation occurred at the outer edge of the flange. A minimum safety factor of 3.5 indicated that the pulley structure remained within a safe operating condition up to a radial load of 300 N. The findings demonstrate that the sand-cast aluminum pulley exhibits satisfactory structural performance and is suitable for operation within the analyzed loading range.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Mulyadi Mulyadi, Dadi Budiman, Habib Putra Fadel, Nofriadi Nofriadi , Muh Anhar
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