Design, Topology Optimization and Fabrication of a Semi-trailing Arm for an Off-Road Vehicle Using Optistruct

Weight of the vehicle plays an important role as it directly affects the fuel efficiency and overall vehicle performance. So, design optimization at the component level is the best approach to achieving the best design with the least mass. A mathematical approach, namely, topology optimization is used in the optimization process to remove the excess portion of the product, keeping in mind the stress concentrations as well as the safety factor. A semi-trailing arm, being a suspension component, requires high strength and durability. The base design of the semi-trailing arm is designed in SolidWorks using the suspension hard points whose kinematic analysis is carried out in the LOTUS Shark suspension analyzer. Static structural analysis of the model is done using ANSYS to determine the excess material in the design. The optimized design was achieved in an iterative process in Altair HyperWorks Optistruct. The optimized design resulted in a 34% reduction of original mass with desired strength. A comparison of design parameters, viz. stress, and total deformation for the base design as well as the optimized design is carried out. In addition, physical tests show an impressive correlation with the prevalidated design.