Application of an Integrated Design System based on a FE Modeling Support System to assess Fatigue Durability of Automobile Suspension Modules

A modeling support system that provides an easy and fast FE-modeling for the static and durability analysis of the lower arm in an automobile suspension module is described. The system can exclude human interactions such as meshing using pre-defined shell elements and can impose complicated boundary and loading conditions via a multi-point constraints technique. The platform of this system is implemented based on MSC.PATRAN, and MSC.NASTRAN and MSC.FATIGUE are utilized as the solver. The parametric geometry modeling tool utilizing CATIA V5 is linked with the modeling support system, which enables changes in 3D models, that occur frequently in an early stage of the design process, to be taken into account. The integration techniques using XML-based wrapper enable to integrate the overall process. This system was applied to an actual work process to calculate the fatigue durability of the lower arm in an automobile suspension module, and time and cost reduction for this analysis were validated.