Analysis of the Influence of Pavement Irregularities on the Lifespan of a Vehicle’s Drive-Wheel Half Shaft

Abstract

As a complex technical system, a vehicle requires a full analysis of its dynamic behaviour. A vehicle is the research subject requiring a detailed analysis of all separate systems both individually and in mutual interaction. One of the technical aspects of vehicle analysis is the lifespan of each element. This paper presents an analysis of the impact of the characteristics of pavement irregularities on the lifespan of a half shaft. In this paper, a mathematical model and a computer simulation of vehicle half-shaft loads have been set up. The importance of this approach is reflected in the use of state-of-the-art computational methods of analysis. The obtained results enable the drawing of clear conclusions about the effects of pavement properties on the lifespan of a vehicle half shaft.Keywords: vehicle, pavement, half shaft, load, lifespan Highlights • The influence of pavement irregularities on a vehicle drive-wheel half shaft is analysed. • A mathematical model of vehicle half-shaft loads has been set up and the influence on lifespan is analysed.• Simulation results of dynamic behaviour were tested and verified through experiments.• that when a model is simpler, it will possibly be less accurate, while a more complex model will be less suitable for the vehicle motion simulations. A detailed analysis of the wheel dynamics is usually done with the data obtained from the performed experimental investigations where the wheel-pavement contact is analysed and the conclusions about the particular characteristics were drawn, for example that the main parameters of the tyre influencing the generated force are the vertical and the radial stiffness of a tyre, where the pneumatic damping characteristic may be neglected, [13] to [15].The need to perform an analysis of a vehicle systems element lifespans is also clearly indicated. The importance of this analysis is proven by fact that a vehicle durability depends on design geometry, material properties, and load, with road roughness as an important parameter influencing the vehicle load. The analysis of the lifespan of vehicle drivetrain system elements in relation to the diversity of pavement characteristics shows that the design of vehicle systems should be adjusted to the vehicle exploitation condition, [10].Thus, different approaches in the process of solving certain problems in a lifespan analysis are used [16]. In the analysis of lifespan, the real conditions are usually replaced by the values of the estimated forces and stresses acting on the vehicle system elements [17] and [18]. The fatigue and reliability tests may be performed in terms of analysing different roads, analysing interacting influences of some mass and geometrical parameters of the vehicles or analysis of the relative fatigue damage of the drivetrain systems for specific roads [19] to [21]. DETERMINATION OF LOADS AND ESTIMATION OF LIFESPANThe analyses of vehicle elements' lifespan are usually conducted in terms of a service life and an analysis of the load of some vehicle elements. In this regard, an...