Automotive Wheel Metamodeling Using Response Surface Methodology (RSM) Technique

Computational cost plays a major role in the performance of scientific and engineering simulation. This in turn makes the virtual validation process complex and time consuming. In the simulation process, achievement of appropriate level of accurate models as close as physical testing is the root for increase in the computational cost. During preliminary phase of product development, it is difficult to identify the appropriate size, shape and other parameters of the component and they will undergo several modifications in concept and other stages. An approximation model called metamodel or surrogate model has developed for reducing these effects and minimizing the computational cost. Metamodel can be used in the place of actual simulation models. Metamodel can be an algorithm or a mathematical relation representing the relations between input and output parameters. The scope of this paper is to generate approximate models (metamodels) for the automotive wheel with help of response surface methodology (RSM) using Isight commercial tool and to arrive at the optimum shape, size and weight of the wheels by considering all necessary loading conditions. The proposed metamodel concept used for the two different load cases, (i) Wheel crush simulation (ii) Wheel modal analysis. This paper describes about the metamodel generation using the validated wheel crush simulation results for various wheel samples. This study gives an insight on how the metamodel helps the designer in selecting the optimum design parameters for the specific load and in the estimation of the maximum crush load for given design parameters. The same metamodel concept using RSM also extended for the prediction of wheel modal performance i.e., to achieve the desired wheel natural frequency target with the optimum size, shape & weight of the wheel, metamodel is used. This concept substantially reduces the time and effort during initial phase of wheel design.