Structure Analysis And Lightweight Optimization Study On Heavy Truck Driving Axle Housing

The automobile drive axle housing is the important carrying and passing component. As a very widely applicable product, banjo axle housing not only supports the weights of vehicle, but also withstands the opposite force of tractive force, braking force, lateral force and vertical force as well as the counter-torque act on the wheels and transfer to the frame and body through suspension fork. Moreover, because of phantasmagoric road conditions, the axle housing could get deformed or broken under the affection of shocking loads which generate between wheel and ground, the drive axle housing must have enough intensity, rigidity and good dynamic performance, the reasonable drive axle housing design can also improve ride comfort of the vehicle.With the improvement of the road condition, especially the rapidly developing freeway, the requirement for heavy truck's passibility is reduced. Because the single-stage reduction drive axle have the following advantages: its transmission efficiency is more higher, parts which are easy to be damaged are fewer, its reliability get intensified and the structure is simpler as compare to the drive axle with hub reduction, the tendency of heavy truck's axle is from classic steyr double-stage reduction drive axle to single-stage reduction drive axle. In this paper, the research object is just the housing of some one new type of single-stage reduction drive axle which is loaded by 10T.The emphasis of this paper is based on FEM static and dynamic theory, the 3D model of the drive axle housing is established in the UG, on the basis of this model, the FEA is simulated in computer under the circumstance of ANSYS to get the results of stress distribution, deformation and the first sixteen natural frequency and vibration shape under the free constraint. The results shows the axle housing meets the strength demand, it is reliable under all kinds of driving conditions and can't cause resonance of the housing, then based on the FEA, to optimize the housing by use of ANSYS. As the result indicates that the weight of the axle housing is reduced remarkably and the maximum stress in housing approaches its breaking point which boost the utilization of the material, and the stress distributes reasonably. The paper also summarize relevant norms about establishing FEA models and relevant analysis and optimization conditions which can make analysis fast, gain useful conclusions.This study shows that the combination of CAD and CAE can help improve design level of drive axle housing, shorten design cycle and reduce develop cost. It is a universalist analytical means which could be applied to any other kind of axlehousing.