Fatigue damage analysis in an automobile stabilizer bar

Abstract

An analysis of fatigue damage in a stabilizer bar in the front suspension (McPherson) of a passenger car was performed. A cumulative fatigue damage theory (linear damage rule) together with experimental and analytical techniques of stress analysis are used to determine the fatigue damage imposed on the stabilizer bar, under both laboratory and actual conditions. Finite element models of the stabilizer bars were used to determine the local stresses at critical regions. These stresses were then measured in the laboratory, by using strain gauges bonded on the material. The assessments of fatigue damage of the stabilizer bar under actual conditions were performed with a component mounted on a vehicle, which was driven over different road surfaces and at different velocities. The results of both experiment types are correlated and discussed.