Simulation Explained: Donut Drop Test

Here’s a random fact that may help you win a trivia contest at some point in the future: Friday, June 3^rd is National Donut Day in the United States. While it might seem like just another silly holiday, such as Talk Like a Pirate Day, the Wookie’s Life Day or Hug Your Cat Day, the tradition actually dates back to World War 1 when Salvation Army volunteers stationed in France served American Doughboys doughnuts.

You don’t have to be from the United States to love donuts, and whether you call them Berliners, beignets, koeksisters, yo-yos, balushahis, an-doughnuts, smultringer, boules de Berlin, donuts or doughnuts, one thing is for certain: they are all delicious…especially when frosted.

That got us thinking, “frosting is to donuts, what simulation is to CAD.” A donut or design might be able to stand on its own, but the frosting or simulation is the proverbial icing on the cake. It takes something great and transforms it into the best possible donut or design it can be. My apologies to those who found that metaphor difficult to swallow, but it was harder to resist than a maple bacon donut hole.

So with the connection between donuts and simulation made, what better way to explain core virtual testing concepts than with the help from the world’s most popular deep fried confectionery? To start, we’re going explain a Drop Test in two separate videos.

First, we’re going to demonstrate what happens to a free-falling donut after a two-story drop:

Second, we’ll use SOLIDWORKS Simulation to conduct a donut drop test and pose the most important “food on the floor” question: “is the five second rule good enough?”

If you’re hungry for more donuts videos or want to learn more about virtual testing, visit https://www.solidworks.com/donuts. Here you will find three more sets of donut videos explaining Vibration, Flow and Thermal Analysis along with information to get you started in simulation including, The Fundamentals of SOLIDWORKS Simulation, “The Value of Virtual Simulation vs. Traditional Methods” report from Aberdeen Research and a white paper explaining the import role accurate simulations play in creating awesome products.

Don’t forget to take time to enjoy a donut! You’ve earned it!