A Case Study on Structural Optimization Design of Shock Absorber Brackets in Automobile Suspension

Abstract

For connecting plate of shock absorber bracket in automobile suspension, lightweight requirement is a mainstream design tendency. Based on the principle of maximum stiffness, this work conducts a case study on structural optimization design of shock absorber brackets in automobile suspension. Firstly, both TI-6AL-4V alloy material and the motion simulation function of Inspire software are employed for use in the investigation. It is expected to simulate the motion state of automobile shock absorber extract the load effectively. Hence, the load is applied to the finite element model of the shock absorber connecting plate as the boundary condition. Then, the software is used to explore the shape control method for the connecting plate under different optimization objectives. Also, the topology optimization is carried out on the premise of 2-factor 4-level orthogonal test, and the extrusion is used as the shape control method. Finally, using 8 mm thickness as constraint condition, the optimized structure with safety factor of 2.3 and weight loss rate of 72.6% can be obtained.