Modeling, Simulation and Optimization Analysis on Steering Knuckle Component For Purpose of Weight Reduction

Reducing weight of vehicle components will contribute towards overall weight reduction of a vehicle, lower its energy consumption demand, therefore, will improve its fuel efficiency. Material resources will be saved too. The objective of this research is reduce weight of an existing steering knuckle component of a local car model by applying shape optimization technique. A finite element modeling and analysis software, HyperWorks which contains several modules, is used to achieve this objective. HyperMesh was used to prepare the finite element model while HyperMorph was utilized for defining shape variables. For optimization purpose, OptiStruct was used. The improved design achieves 8.4% reduction of weight while meeting the strength requirement. This result can be considered satisfactory in view of using optimization in shape only, with limited design space given and no change in material properties.