Developing an automated design modification system for aluminium disc wheels

Abstract

Disc wheels intended for normal use on passenger cars have to pass three tests before going into production: the dynamic cornering fatigue test, the dynamic radial fatigue test, and the impact test. Fatigue prediction has been an important issue in the design of aluminium disc wheels. This paper presents an automated design modification system that integrates engineering analysis results and common redesign strategies by engineers with a fuzzy logic algorithm in order to provide effective strategies to reduce the failure probability in the fatigue test. A probability model, which uses simulation results to provide quantitative information regarding ‘how likely the wheel is going to fail in the fatigue test’, is described first, then engineers' common strategies for redesigning the wheels are provided. Sensitivities of the strategies with respect to the probability of fatigue failures have been calculated to evaluate these strategies. A set of fuzzy rules on how to reduce the failure probability using these strategies is established and an automated design modification system is constructed. Finally, this system is validated using three real wheel design examples. Using this system, designers' previous experience can be properly transformed and utilized by all designers.