Designing roof tiles with FEM

The service offered by Bongioanni Macchine’s Moulds Division allows for the production of roof tiles with lower weight and superior mechanical strength

With the aim of fully meeting its customers’ needs, Bongioanni Macchine has developed several innovative technologies capable of further improving roof tile geometry and strength. Using FEM (Finite Element Method), it is possible to achieve higher mechanical strength while optimising weight and consequently reducing the energy required to produce and transport tiles.

The service, offered by Bongioanni’s Mould Division, involves scanning existing tile models in order to obtain an electronic template that can be used to produce tiles optimised by means of a FEM calculation.The service also includes the use of modern systems to develop new products as well as laboratory tests in which the tiles are loaded at critical points to simulate their position on the roof and the forces acting on them.

FEM allows the weight of the roof tiles to be reduced without sacrificing mechanical strength, thereby lowering raw material consumption and production costs and increasing energy savings. The innovative software therefore eliminates most of the previously necessary field tests and delivers reliable results in a short space of time. Adjustments can also be made to achieve the desired strength and above all to reduce the tile’s weight by removing superfluous material without affecting its mechanical strength.

Bongioanni Macchine has been using FEM since the 2000s for structural checks of its machines and has subsequently extended its use to the design activities conducted by the Bongioanni Moulds Division. In the most complex cases, FEM is used to further adapt the profiles to the production process in the dryer and kiln by using thermal cameras to observe the residual deformations. This allows detailed adjustments to be made at the observed points in order to optimise product quality. Bongioanni Macchine has been involved in research and development of innovative products and processes for many years with a view to achieving sustainable production, reduced raw material and energy consumption and the highest product quality.