Fatigue Strength of a Rim Model with FEM Using a New Approximation Technique

In this study, a domestic wheel rim model has been modeled using FEM in order to calculate its fatigue strength. In other words, a different approximation algorithm has been developed to obtain service life of the rim. The effects of dynamic and static loads on the rim have been calculated and included to the FEM analysis. As a new approximation technique, during the service life of a vehicle under dynamic loads arising from the road conditions as taking into account, load spectrum has been constituted. In the design spectrum that has been utilized in our calculations, instead of using straight good road conditions, other fifty percent of forces that have been corresponding lifetime of the vehicle, accepted as hundred percent of dynamic and static forces caused by bad road conditions acting on the rim.

As a result of this study, the calculated results have been compared to the experimental data taken from literature review. It can be seen that this method that we used in our calculations can be used for this kind of fatigue analysis of vehicle components.