Robust Design of an Automobile Ball Joint Considering the Worst-Case Analysis

Abstract

An automobile ball joint is the element for connecting the control arm and the knuckle arm, allowing rotational motion. The ball joint consists of the stud, plug, socket, and seat. These components are assembled through the caulking process that consists of plugging and spinning. In the existing research, the pull-out strength and gap stiffness were calculated, but we did not consider the uncertainties due to the numerical analysis and production. In this study, the uncertainties of material property and tolerance are considered to predict the distributions of pull-out strength and gap stiffness. Also, pull-out strength and gap stiffness are predicted as the a distribution rather than one deterministic value. Furthermore, a robust design applying the Taguchi method is suggested.