Prediction of Fatigue Failures of Aluminum Disc Wheels Using the Failure Probability Contour Based on Historical Test Data

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. This paper describes a probability model for prediction of fatigue failures of aluminum disc wheels, which intends to better link the prediction using simulation results with historical test data. Finite element models of 54 aluminum wheels, which are already physically tested, are constructed to simulate the dynamic cornering fatigue test. Their mean stresses and stress amplitudes during the fatigue loading cycle are calculated and plotted on a two-dimensional plane. Matching with historical test data, the failure probability contour can be drawn. For a new wheel, the failure probability of dynamic cornering fatigue test can be read directly from this probability contour. The test result of the new wheel can be added into the set of historical test data and the failure probability contour is updated. Same procedure is directly applied to the fatigue prediction of dynamical radial fatigue test. At this point we only have 20 historical test data to construct the failure contour. The prediction will become more and more reliable as the number of historical test data increases.

Evaluation of fatigue life of aluminum alloy wheels under radial loads

“…Grubisic and Fisher [2] have reported earlier in the literature that testing alone without the aid of stress analysis will not yield the optimum wheel design. Hsu et al [3] described a probability based model for prediction of fatigue failure of aluminum disc wheels, which intended to better link the prediction of life using simulation results with historical data. Finite element models of 20 aluminum wheels which are already physically tested were constructed to simulate dynamic radial fatigue test.…”

Fatigue Life Analysis of Aluminum Wheels by Simulation of Rotary Fatigue Test

“…Their mean stress level and stress amplitude during the fatigue loading cycles were calculated and plotted on a two dimensional plane. For a new wheel, the failure probability of the dynamic radial fatigue test can be read directly from this probability contour drawn from the test data [3]. Kocabicak and Firat proposed a bi-axial load-notch strain approximation for proportional loading to estimate the fatigue life of a passenger car wheel during the cornering fatigue test.…”

Fatigue life analysis of aluminum HS6061-T6 rims using finite element method

“…Loads generated during the assembly may cause significant levels of stress in components [3,4] . Finite element analysis is help for predicting of the critical stress area and fatigue life of aluminum rims.…”