Abstract
The mechanical properties of the steering column have a significant influence on the comfort and stability of a vehicle. In order for the mechanical properties to be improved, the rotary swaging process of the steering column is studied in this article. The process parameters, including axial feed rate, hammerhead speed, and hammerhead radial reduction, are systematically analyzed and optimized based on a multi-objective optimization design. The response surface methodology and the genetic algorithm are employed for optimal process parameters to be obtained. The maximum damage value, the maximum forming load, and the equivalent strain difference obtained with the optimal process parameters are, respectively, decreased by 30.09%, 7.44%, and 57.29% compared to the initial results. The comparative results present that the quality of the steering column is improved. The torque experiments and fatigue experiments are conducted with the optimal steering column. The maximum torque is measured to be 260 NM, and the service life is measured to be 2 weeks (40 NM, 2500 times), which are, respectively, increased by 8.3% and 8.69% compared to the initial results. The above results display that the mechanical properties of the steering column are optimized to verify the feasibility of the multi-objective optimization method.
Highlights
The steering column, used for conversion and transfer of energy, constitutes an important component connecting the steering wheel to the steering system
According to the above studies, in order for the mechanical properties of the steering column to be improved in this article, a multi-objective optimization design is conducted by the response surface methodology (RSM) and the genetic algorithm (GA) for optimal process parameters of the steering column to be obtained
V, N, and H, the interaction effect of V with N, the interaction effect of V with H, the interaction effect of N with H, the second-order term of V, and the second-order term of H have a significant effect on the value of D and E
Summary
The steering column, used for conversion and transfer of energy, constitutes an important component connecting the steering wheel to the steering system. In order for the mechanical properties of the steering column to be improved, it is quite significant for the rotary swaging process of the steering column to be optimized for forging quality improvement. According to the above studies, in order for the mechanical properties of the steering column to be improved in this article, a multi-objective optimization design is conducted by the response surface methodology (RSM) and the genetic algorithm (GA) for optimal process parameters of the steering column to be obtained. The minimum value of I is 23.2687, which is the optimal value of the multi-objective optimization problem in this article In this case, the corresponding optimal rotary swaging parameters are as follows: axial feed rate V is 1600 mm/min, hammerhead speed N is 299.9 r/min, and hammerhead radial reduction H is 1.2004 mm
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