Electric vehicles (EVs) impose more demanding operating conditions on wheel bearing systems due to increased vehicle mass, higher drive torque, and the need to maximize energy efficiency and driving range. These factors elevate the loads transmitted through the bearing to knuckle joint and often require higher clamp loads to ensure joint integrity. However, higher clamp loads amplify distortion of the wheel bearing outer ring, increasing rotational drag and reducing bearing durability. Controlling outer ring distortion is therefore critical for EV wheel bearing design, as well as for high performance vehicles that experience severe lateral loads at the hub to knuckle interface.
This paper investigates key design considerations for optimizing the wheel bearing outer ring and its mounting interface to minimize distortion under elevated clamp loads. A comprehensive CAE-based Design of Experiments (DOE) is used to evaluate the influence of multiple bolt-mounting patterns including rectangular, square, and trapezoidal configurations and the relative alignment of the bolt pattern between the outer ring and knuckle. The study also compares the performance of M12 and M14 fastener variants across loading conditions representative of EV and high-performance applications. The results identify geometric and interface design parameters that significantly reduce outer ring out of roundness, thereby lowering drag torque and improving long-term bearing life.