Computer aided design of manufacturing of automotive part made of magnesium alloy

Abstract

Evaluation of the possibility of substitution of steel part in the car body by the one made of AZ31 alloy was the objective of the paper. Bracket in the support of the steering wheel was selected for the analysis. Two criteria were selected to evaluate the possibility of using the Mg alloy part: i) stiffness of this part cannot be lower than that of the steel part, ii) Manufacturing of the part has to be possible. The objective of the research was a design of the shape of the bracket, that meets assumed criteria including manufacturing and assembly possibilities. The optimization task was formulated to reach this objective. Maximum stiffness of the part was the objective function and technological limitations were the constraints. Dimensions of the bracket were the optimization variables. Optimal shape was designed and numerical simulations were performed to evaluate possibility of stamping of this part. Simulations have shown that the decrease of the thickness is within of acceptable limits and that the strains are below the limiting strains. Thus, proposition of the shape of the magnesium alloy bracket, which can be safely manufactured by stamping, is the main output of the paper.