Session: 02-01-02: Product and Process Design

Paper Number: 145965

145965 - Design of a Novel Passenger Car Axle Housing Mount Using Alternative Geometry and Material 

Axle housing is a casing, typically made of robust metal alloys like cast iron. It encloses integral rear axle components in a vehicle, including the differential and axle shafts. This casing connects to the suspension system, enabling independent wheel movement. Its primary role involves power transmission from the engine to the wheels while bearing the vehicle's weight. Additionally, it acts as a mounting point for the suspension system, enhancing stability, absorbing shock, and ensuring tire-road contact for optimal performance.

Reverse engineering is a valuable technique, employed by numerous industry professionals to achieve project goals. It entails comprehending the functionality of a pre-existing product through deductive analysis. This acquired knowledge can subsequently facilitate documentation, replication, enhancement, or adaptation of the original product design.

Considerable potential exists for enhancing products to replace current vehicle components within the automotive industry aftermarket. It's customary for vehicles to be customized for specific purposes beyond their standard functions, necessitating alterations to meet new functional criteria. These modifications may demand the integration of new hardware to enable the vehicle to fulfill its intended tasks. Reverse engineering of existing hardware is imperative to preserve essential design specifications while developing a product tailored for alternative applications.

This study examined the reverse engineering and redesign of a mount for a passenger car axle housing. Upon benchmarking existing designs, common practices of 3D scanning, hybrid modeling, and 3D printing were developed. The authors sought to introduce this mount in a novel manner onto an axle housing with unique geometry, opting to utilize aluminum as a prototyping material instead of the conventional choice of cast iron.

The primary objective was to evaluate the durability of the axle assembly under increased loads while minimizing significant weight gain. The authors concentrated on reverse engineering methods, ensuring the integration of design intent throughout the design process. Finite Element Analysis (FEA) was employed to simulate real-life loading conditions, facilitating a thorough assessment of the component's performance and durability.

The innovative mount design successfully fulfilled all functional requirements, and the simulation demonstrated acceptable levels of existing stresses under applied realistic loading conditions. A prototype of the novel mount was fabricated. To evaluate functionality, the new mount was installed on an existing axle housing, resulting in a positive fit without any post process adjustment or secondary operation.

The authors research shows great promise as a versatile solution for a wide array of passenger cars, improving performance and efficiency across different models. Its adaptable design and comprehensive approach suggest a scalable solution set to transform automotive technology for diverse users.

Presenting Author: Tikran Kocharian Grand Valley State University

Presenting Author Biography: Tikran (Ted) Kocharian is an affiliate faculty at School of Engineering of Grand Valley State University in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
He has joined GVSU on August of 2016 and he is part of Mechanical and Interdisciplinary Engineering committees at Grand Valley State.

Authors:

Jeremy Burns Grand Valley State University
Tikran Kocharian Grand Valley State University