Determining a counterweight?

[jyager]

Not sure if this is something I'm able to do in Inventor...

I have a "damper", it's more or less a diesel exhaust flapper type vent, that hangs upside down and is held in the horizontal/closed position by a counterweight.

Typically we would experiment in the shop with the counterweight quantity and the length of the arm required to get the proper operation of the damper/flapper in respect to the air/exhaust flow.

Since we know the axis along the shaft for the flapper and the weight of the flapper and it's bracket on the arm...is there a way to figure this out in Inventor? Obviously it still may need to be dialed in/tweaked...but I'm not sure if it's even possible.

Thanks!

[graemev]

Yes.  Check the iProperties; Physical tab, and update (if necessary) for a report on the mass, volume, etc.  There will be a set of values for each axis center of gravity.  I believe the distances are with respect to the top level origin point, so you may need to use the measuring tool to find the location of your pivot point.  After that, it's a pretty simple balance calculation.

[mrattray]

If you're asking if Inventor can calculate the air flow pressure, then no. If you're asking if Inventor can tell you the mass properties of your part, then yes.

[JDMather]

If you have Inventor Professional (with Dynamic Simulation) and you know ball-park figures for the pressure you could represent changing pressure in DS.

[jyager]

I think more or less with this object it's how far out the counterweight would need to be away from the axis to JUST close the flap at no airflow. With any flow it should open proportionate to the volume of air. So I guess it's more an issue of balance than anything else.

I can calculate the mass and locate the CoG w/ Inventor...I guess the rest is on my end.