VIRTUAL DEVELOPMENT OF AUTOMOTIVE WHEELS: Modal, Vertical Impact and Fatigue Analysis and Simulation, using the finite element method

Abstract

In recent years, research and development in the automotive industry have increasingly focused on safety, comfort, and energy efficiency. A crucial area of this research is the wheel/tire system, which is vital in ensuring vehicle safety and drivability. This study examines the effects of various types of loads applied to the wheel/tire system. Furthermore, it assesses the safety factor and potential fatigue-related failures in automotive wheels, identifying the areas with significant deformations and displacements. The research employs CAD and CAE software to analyze the behavior of automotive wheels, utilizing the Finite Element Method (FEM), which is commonly used during the automotive design phase to reduce costs associated with prototypes and validation. In the modal analysis, we examined the first four vibration modes, with the natural frequencies and modal shapes ranging from 350 to 610 Hz. For vertical impact analysis, we applied an internal tire pressure of 200 kPa (29 psi) along with a force of 9 kN to the tire, keeping the wheel fixed and the screws secured. This analysis revealed a safety factor of 2.60 for the most critical case. In the lateral fatigue analysis, a force of 1.5 kN was applied to the region around the screws using a 760 mm lever arm. This scenario resulted in a safety factor of 2.66. Lastly, for the radial fatigue analysis, we maintained an internal tire pressure of 200 kPa (29 psi) and applied a force of 7.5 kN to the screw region, simulating the tightening torque. The safety factor for this most critical case was determined to be 1.76.