Lightweight Design of a Multi-Material Suspension Lower Control Arm

Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part C:

Luciano

Ferraris³

et al. 2022

Self Cite

This paper presents a multi-material design for a lightweight swing arm of a McPherson suspension. Starting from a stamped steel lower control arm (LCA) of a C-segment vehicle a hybrid arm made of a metal core and two Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastics covers has been hand sketched, Computer Aided Design designed, and Finite Element Method tested. To fully exploit hybridization potential, it has developed a specific methodology which combines the topological optimization of the metal core, and the 3-phase optimization of the composite covers. Also, an innovative viscoelastic material has been included in the laminates to enhance the damping properties of the arm and a Frequency Response Function analysis has been performed. The results in terms of mass, stiffness and stress distribution have been compared with the original stamped steel LCA and with another hybrid LCA design. The final comparison has shown that with the redesign approach it has been possible to reduce the mass to a greater extent without affecting stiffness performance and stress distribution.

Section: Load Case Configurationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Hybrid Evo Arm Designmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Innovative optimization approach to improve noise vibration harshness and lightweight in lower control arm

Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part C:

Luciano

Ferraris³

et al. 2022

Self Cite

“…Subsequently, the hybrid lower control arm has been built after a specific virtual optimization performed in Altair Optistruct and explained in [23,24]. In particular, thanks to the specific methodology adopted, the hybrid LCA mass is 23% lower than the original one but maintains the same performance in terms of stiffness.…”

Section: Virtual Correlation On Oberst Testmentioning

confidence: 99%

Enhancing Vibration Reduction on Lightweight Lower Control Arm

Ferraris²,

Airale³

et al. 2020

Shock and Vibration

Self Cite

This paper describes the design procedure to enhance the damping properties of a multimaterial lightweight suspension arm for a C-segment vehicle. An innovative viscoelastic material has been used to join carbon fiber with steel that has a function of passive constrained layer damper and adhesive simultaneously. Therefore, the hybrid technology applied has been focused on reducing the LCA mass, diminishing the steel thickness, and adding a CFRP tailored cover without compromising the global mechanical performance. Particular attention has been paid to the investigation of the dynamic response in terms of vibration reduction, especially in the range of structure-borne frequencies of 0–600 Hz. Two different viscoelastic materials have been evaluated in such a way to compare their stiffness, damping, and dynamic properties. The experimental test results have been virtually correlated with a commercial FEM code to create the respective material card and predict the real behavior of the LCAs (original and hybrid). The experimental modal analysis has been performed and compared on both the arms highlighting a very good correlation between virtual and experimental results. In particular, the hybrid LCA allows an interesting improvement of damping ratio, about 3,5 times higher for each eigenmode than in the original solution.

Performance comparison between glass and basalt fibre-reinforced composites for an automotive seat backrest

Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part C:

Teles

Airale³

et al. 2022

Self Cite

In recent years, the automotive industry has been developing lightweight components in order to comply with stricter fuel consumption regulations. In fact, car mass reduction plays an important role in reducing fuel consumption and CO2 emissions. Composite materials are very promising solutions because of their potential to reduce mass by replacing traditional steel components, while ensuring safety requirements and structure reliability. However, they might present some issues in terms of sustainability and cost. This paper presents a methodology developed to carry out safety tests on a virtual automotive seat and then assess the structural practicability of using a more sustainable material, the Basalt Reinforced-Fibre Polymer (BFRP), as a replacement of the original material, the Glass Reinforced-Fibre Polymer (GFRP). The starting point of this study was the mechanical characterisation of both traditional and green composites. Then, the composite material formulation MAT-58 was optimised to correlate the simulated and experimental results. Finally, static and energy absorption simulation tests were performed according to the ECE R17 regulation. The seat model was compliant with the safety requirements in all cases studied, and both composites presented a similar structural performance.