Tuusmet verified the durability of media cube structures using i3D's strength calculation service

Tuusmet ensured the durability of structures with i3D’s strength calculation service

Espoo Metro Areena updated the media display for the start of the 2024 ice hockey season. By Finnish standards, media cubes in multi-purpose arenas are quite rare projects, so there was plenty to think about in terms of safety. Tuusmet Oy, a leading manufacturer of AV stands, was chosen to design and build the frame.

In cooperation with Tuusmet, i3D was involved in calculating the durability of the giant screen frame.

Baseline

The arena’s new media cube is a square structure, with a total weight of 7000 kg, 7.9 metres wide and 4.5 metres high, hanging from the ceiling and attached to the arena roof by four vertical cables. For maintenance purposes, the cube can be lowered by four synchronised motors. In addition to its own weight, the structure must be able to withstand any disturbance during the lifting operation.

Safety above all else

The frame of the media cube is a 3 000 kg aluminium frame. The frame has four sides and is attached by cables to the arena ceiling. i3D’s experts were particularly concerned with checking the strength of the anchorage points to ensure that no disturbance could cause the cube to fall.

”We wanted to consider all possible scenarios, such as the strength of the cube frame in a possible accident situation,” says Pekka Väisänen, Sales Director at Tuusmet.

Calculating the strength of the frame alone was not enough in this case, as the frame also has to be able to support the massive 4000 kg LED display panels and there are a considerable number of different joints in the frame. Among other things, the supports, the aluminium alloys, the service bridge and the power centre to be built into the cube required many different rounds of calculations.

The result

i3D’s strength calculations confirmed that the original designs were already excellent in many ways, but also identified a few areas where changes needed to be made. The project also highlighted the importance of performing strength calculations as early as possible to optimise the use of materials.

”We would have saved some material costs if i3D had been involved from the very beginning. It really pays to include strength calculation in the product design project right from the start,” adds Pekka Väisänen.

More information:

Tuusmet Oy
Pekka Väisänen
Sales Director