Summary
Background Information
Requirements
The trailing arm and brace are integral parts of the rear suspension, and require a safety factor of 3
Loading and Boundary Conditions
The trailing arm and brace were simulated in a loading condition where the vehicle is accelerating and cornering. Both the inside wheel and the outside wheel loading conditions were tested. The forces of the road acting on the tire were found to be
Table 1: Summary of Suspension Loading Conditions
| Case | Fx (kN) | Fy (kN) | Fz (kN) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Accelerating & Cornering (Inside Rear Wheel) | 1.53 | 0.94 | 0.73 |
| Accelerating & Cornering (Outside Rear Wheel) | -1.53 | 1.94 | 0.73 |
From there the force was changed from a force on the tire, to a force and a moment on the trailing arm, with the forces remaining constant. From this the loading on the trailing are was shown to be
Results
| von Mises Stress | |
|---|---|
| Displacement | |
| Mesh Independence |