Numerical Investigation of Wheel Rim Using Different Materials Under Various Road Conditions

Abstract

In the automotive industry, wheel rims are an essential part that meets strict requirements for driving safety and vehicle operation. It is capable of withstanding static and dynamic forces applied to the rim at tire-rim interfaces in a wide range of road profiles. The popular material used for the rim is aluminum alloy. There is a problem of galvanic corrosion, increased fuel consumption, durability, and unsprung mass. This day’s automotive industry is paying much attention to reducing the weight of parts to increase vehicle performance and reduce fuel consumption. This weight can be reduced by introducing new materials like composites with better properties than conventional rims, testing the impact strength and vibration of the structure, and optimizing the manufacturing process with the design. Therefore, the aim of this research is to design and conduct a numerical analysis of a wheel rim made from composite materials and compare its performance with that of an existing wheel rim made of aluminum alloy. In addition to this, research is conducted to select appropriate materials that eliminate the problems that occur in aluminum alloy wheel rims. The comparison study was conducted under both bump and level road conditions. In order to do the analysis, the modeling of the existing and new wheel rims is done using CATIA V5, and ANSYS-LSDYNA is used to perform modal, harmonic, static structural, and explicitly dynamic analysis. According to the design and numerical analysis results, an aluminum alloy wheel rim has lower mechanical and physical properties than other selected composite materials such as boron fiber, Kevlar 49, S-glass, pan-based carbon fiber, and E-glass. From the results, Kevlar 49 wheel rims have better mechanical and physical properties in terms of deformation (0.58 mm), equivalent von Mises stress (41.9 Mpa), long life cycle (10E+8), and weight (4.67 kg). According to the numerical result, the equivalent (Von-Mises) stress, directional deformation, and weight of the wheel rim are reduced by 16.68%, 29.58%, and 48%, respectively. Finally, the modal and harmonic analysis result of the newly selected material wheel rim is greater than 350 Hz, which is the limit value of internal vehicle noise and is at an acceptable level from the point of view of noise, vibration, and harshness.