Automobile rear axle housing design and production process improvement using Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA)

Abstract

The safety of automobile design is crucial to protect drivers, passengers, and other road users, ensuring reliable performance, accident prevention, and regulatory compliance.The rear axle housing in automobiles serves as a protective enclosure for the rear axle assembly, providing support, protection, and structural integrity for the drivetrain components. This research paper employs Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA) to comprehensively identify and assess common failures in the design and manufacturing process of rear axle housings in automobiles. The study highlights five critical failure modes, namely less durability, faulty blank, hole position out, burred edges, and bore position out. Through the application of recommended solutions, including design optimization, maintenance of shear blades, and the use of jigs, substantial reductions in Risk Priority Number (RPN) values were achieved. Specifically, the RPN values for the aforementioned failure modes were significantly decreased from 280 to 40, 256 to 48, 378 to 21, 378 to 45, and 392 to 56, respectively. Implementation of these solutions promises several benefits, such as enhanced customer satisfaction, reduced failure rates, elevated product/process quality and reliability, streamlined processes, and optimized resource utilization. This study emphasizes the significance of continuous improvement efforts in the automotive industry and demonstrates the pivotal role of FMEA as an invaluable tool for achieving and sustaining these improvements.