Design and Analysis of Anti-Roll Bar in Formula Vehicle

Abstract

Abstract: This study explains a coherent flow for designing, analyzing, and testing a tuneable anti-roll bar system for a formula student race-car. The design process starts with the analytical calculation for roll stiffness using constraining parameters such as CG (Centre of Gravity) height, total mass, and weight distribution in conjunction with suspension geometry. Then, the material selection for the design i.e., Aluminium 7075 T6 is made based on parameters such as density and modulus of rigidity. A MATLAB program is used to iterate defection vs load for different stiffness and shaft diameter values. This is then checked with kinematic defection values in FUSION 360s geometry. To validate with the material defection, finite element analysis is performed on ANSYS workbench. Manufacturing accuracy for the job is checked using both static analysis in lab settings and using sensors on vehicles during ontrack testing. The error percentage is found to be 4% between the target stiffness and the one obtained from static testing. Parameters such as moment arm length, shaft diameter and length, and defection were determined and validated. This paper shows the importance of an anti-roll bar device to tune the roll stiffness of the car without interfering with the ride stiffness.