Results and reports
Read a result
When a run is verified, its result page shows the verdict, the three result fields in an interactive 3D view, the load case that was applied, and the numerical evidence behind it.
Open a result
- It opens automatically at the end of a run.
- Later, open it from the project's Design revisions or Run history, from the Solve Queue, or from Reports & Exports.
The verdict
Read the verdict first. It is decided by one number: the minimum safety factor over the wheel surface.
| Verdict | Rule | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| FEA PASSED | Minimum safety factor 3.0 or higher | Meets the production release threshold for the applied load case. |
| FEA FAILED | Minimum safety factor below 3.0 | Not safe for production under this load case. Strengthen the design and run again. |
| FEA review required | Flagged by the result's local stress check | An engineer must review the result before any release decision. |
FEA FAILED is an engineering verdict on a valid result. It is not a software error.
Wheel material
Choose the wheel material under Wheel material in the run settings before you queue a run. The threshold above is for 6061-T6 aluminium, the default.
| Material | Yield strength | Minimum safety factor (pass/fail) | Recommended |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6061-T6 aluminium | 313 MPa | 3.0 | 3.0 |
| AZ80A-T6 magnesium | 230 MPa | 2.5 | 3.0 |
A magnesium wheel with a minimum safety factor from 2.5 to 3.0 passes, and the result notes that it is below the recommended 3.0. Magnesium is offered once ForgeNode is updated to a version that supports it. Its fail threshold on the VM scale is 92 MPa, and its lower stiffness (44 GPa against 72.7 GPa) gives about 1.65 times the displacement of the same wheel in aluminium.
Warning A verdict applies only to this geometry, material, route, and applied load case. Check those inputs against your design requirements before using the result in an engineering decision.
The three result fields
Use the tabs above the viewer to switch fields.
| Field | What it shows | Unit |
|---|---|---|
| VM Stress | Von Mises equivalent stress on the wheel surface. | MPa |
| Displacement | How far each point of the surface moves under load. | mm |
| Safety Factor | How far the material is from yielding at each point: its simplified yield strength divided by the von Mises stress. Higher is safer. | none |
Reading the colours
- VM Stress uses a fixed scale that starts at 0 MPa and marks the fail threshold of 104.2 MPa, the stress at which the safety factor reaches 3.0. Because the scale is fixed, colours can be compared between runs.
- Safety Factor uses four bands:
| Colour | Safety factor |
|---|---|
| Red | below 2.5 |
| Yellow | 2.5 to 3.0 |
| Green | 3.0 to 6.0 |
| Blue | 6.0 and above |
Viewer controls
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Left-drag / scroll / middle-drag | Orbit, zoom, and pan. |
| Fit view | Resets the camera. |
| Full screen | Enlarges the viewer. |
| Top 5 hotspots | Marks the five highest-stress surface locations (VM Stress). |
| Point probe | Click the surface to place numbered stress probes (VM Stress). Clear probes removes them. |
| Min / Max | Marks the minimum and maximum of the current field. |
| Surface mesh | Shows the surface of the analysis mesh. |
| B-Rep edges | Shows the edges of the original CAD model. |
| Deformation | On Displacement: Undeformed, Actual, Auto exaggeration, or Strong exaggeration. |
| Inspection Mode | Select CAD faces or edges, or measure distances in mm, on the original geometry. A selected face shows its surface type and exact radius (for a fillet or edge round, its radius; for a free-form face, its smallest and largest), and whether it is an inside fillet or an edge round. Results prepared by an older ForgeNode show an estimated radius, marked as approximate. |
The right-hand panel shows the Active result value, a Distribution histogram of the field, and Surface hotspots & point probes.
Applied load case
Applied load case shows the loads that were actually applied: the load case name, the radial load (force), and the angular torque (moment). These come from the Fitment snapshot or manual override bound when the run was queued. See Vehicle loads.
Numerical evidence
NUMERICAL EVIDENCE lists the signed values of this run:
- peak von Mises stress, maximum displacement, and minimum safety factor;
- Solver residual: how closely the solver converged (a numerical quality measure, not the verdict);
- FEA elapsed time and the size of the surface field mesh;
- Material and Net wheel weight, when the geometry provides a solid volume.
Values on the page belong to this run only; no reference result is substituted.
Cryptographic provenance
RUN RECORD ties the result to its inputs: the Run input fingerprint of the geometry and settings, the Result fingerprint, and the Operation ID. If two results have the same run input fingerprint, they came from identical inputs.
LoudGears Design Advisor
LoudGears Design Advisor turns the regions below the safety-factor threshold into revision suggestions. It finds each connected region, works out where it sits on the wheel and what geometry it sits on, and suggests the matching change:
- A fillet (concave R corner): increase the radius, with a suggested range from the measured radius.
- A window corner, or an edge where a spoke's profile sweeps into the hub or rim: increase that corner or transition radius first, then the edge round.
- A spoke: if the peak is on the front or rear face, increase the spoke depth; if it is on the side wall, increase the width. Both come with the measured section.
- A rim flange (inboard or outboard), a bead seat or the barrel: thicken the wall locally.
- A lug hole, the center bore or the valve hole: thicken the boss or wall around the hole and round its edge.
- Next to the fixed mounting face: first check whether the peak is a boundary effect.
A peak on a single node, whose surroundings are much lower, is flagged as an isolated peak to verify before anything is redesigned. When the result passes, the advisor shows the location with the lowest margin and suggests no change.
Sizes are first-order estimates aimed at the 3.00 safety-factor threshold. The advice is marked Rule-based. It is computed in your browser from the 3D fields on the workstation and is not sent anywhere. It never changes the verdict or any value, and every change needs an engineer's review and a new run. Show in 3D places a probe on the region's peak.
Weight-reduction advice
When a result passes, the advice block offers How to reduce the wheel's weight. It checks the safety-factor margin of each region and applies workshop rules: pocket the back of the PCD pad, thin the barrel middle (to about 3–3.5 mm), the inboard bead flange (6–7 mm) and the outboard flange (6–7 mm), and reduce spoke width or depth along the middle of the spokes (the roots at the hub and rim, where the peak usually sits, are kept). Existing pockets are deepened rather than new small features added. Every suggestion is bounded so the region keeps a safety factor of at least 3.00; a region within 5% of 3.00 is shown as having no margin, and back-pad pockets need 1.3× that margin. Mass savings are rough estimates.
Download the weight-reduction PDF saves an overview of every region (status, current and suggested size, lowest safety factor, estimated saving) and one close-up page per region to thin. Like the design advice, it is rule-based, never changes the verdict, and every change needs an engineer's review and a new run.
Front and rear wheels
A run that came from a front/rear file shows a notice with both wheels' outer diameters and spoke counts, which wheel this run is, and whether the rear wheel is charged at half price or in full and why. The credit line shows the rear-wheel discount when it applies. See Front and rear wheels in one file.
Where the 3D fields come from
The full 3D fields are stored by ForgeNode on the workstation that ran the analysis. LoudGears stores only the signed numerical summary. So:
- On that workstation, with ForgeNode running, the full interactive view opens. The page may show the verified summary first, then Reading original 3D fields from ForgeNode….
- On another computer, you can see the verdict and the numerical summary, but not the 3D fields.
If the fields do not load, use Retry original 3D result. For an older run, Recover local result reads the fields that ForgeNode still has stored. Do not start a new analysis just to refresh the viewer.
Some older runs predate the current result format. They open as Historical review only: the stored fields are shown as recorded, but that view cannot generate a report or a new release decision.
Next steps
- Export the result: see Reports.
- Change the design: in the project, choose New analysis / revision. See Projects and revisions.