Author(s)

Wang Shuai ¹, Luo Kai ², Shen Guowei ³, Gao Sasa ¹

Affiliation(s)

¹ College of Mechanical & Electrical Engineering, Shaanxi University of Science and Technology, Xi'an, 710021, China
² Technical Quality Department, Xi'an Oude Rubber & Plastic Technology Co, Ltd, Xi'an, 710201, China
³ Technology Center, Xi'an Deshi Vehicle Components Co, Ltd, Xi'an, 710000, China

Corresponding Author

Gao Sasa

ABSTRACT

When the thrust rod of commercial vehicles is under the ultimate load, rubber extrusion or even cracks may occur in the rubber layer, which affects the operation safety of the vehicle. In order to reduce the failure probability of the thrust rod and extend its service life, this paper simulated the working condition of the thrust rod ball-hinged rubber by finite element method, revealed the relationship between the maximum stress of the thrust rod ball-hinged rubber and its structure, and proposed an optimization scheme. Firstly, based on the stress-strain data of rubber material, the parameters of elastoelastic constitutive model of rubber material were fitted in ABAQUS software. Secondly, the finite element model of ball hinge rubber was established to reduce the maximum working stress of rubber layer by changing the parameters of rubber layer thickness and its edge shape, so as to extend the service life of thrust rod. The results show that reducing the thickness of the rubber layer can effectively reduce the maximum stress of the rubber layer, but the stress concentration is not significantly improved, and the crack spreads to the inner surface of the rubber layer, and changing the edge shape of the rubber layer to convex, not only can greatly reduce the maximum stress, but also effectively alleviate the stress concentration, but the rubber layer edge of the outer surface of the tear. Finally, the optimal combination scheme of the two structural parameters was determined by orthogonal test, which greatly reduced the maximum stress and improved the stress concentration, reduced the crack propagation length, and no tearing occurred on the inner and outer surfaces of the rubber layer. The effectiveness of the orthogonal experiment optimization scheme is proved, which can lay a theoretical foundation for the optimization design of thrust rod ball hinge rubber.

KEYWORDS

Rubber ball joint; Constitutive model; Finite element analysis; Parameter optimization; Crack propagation

CITE THIS PAPER

Wang Shuai, Luo Kai, Shen Guowei, Gao Sasa, Finite Element Modeling and Structural Parameter Optimization of Ball Hinge Rubber for Commercial Vehicle Thrust Rod. Journal of Engineering Mechanics and Machinery (2024) Vol. 9: 18-28. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.23977/jemm.2024.090203.

REFERENCES

[1] HAO H, WANG H W, OUYANG M G. Predictions of China's passenger vehicle and commercial vehicle stocks [J]. Journal of Tsinghua University (Science and Technology), 2011, 51(6): 868-872.
[2] ZHANG H H, CHEN K S, ZHANG J. Static & dynamic analysis of v-type propelling rod in air suspension system [J]. Tractor & Farm Transporter, 2009, (3): 40-42.
[3] ZHANG J R, LI J L, DENG Y, et al. Strength design of thrust bar for 40 t heavy-duty vehicle equalizing suspension [J]. Automobile Technology, 2008, (3): 19-22.
[4] FENG G Y. Performance optimization and fatigue life prediction of commercial vehicle thrust rod [D]. Changchun: Jilin University, 2017.
[5] WANG Q. Structure optimization and durability research of heavy commercial vehicle thrust rod [D]. Changchun: Jilin University, 2013.
[6] LI Z. Structure improvement and performance study of thrust rod on commercial vehicle [D]. Changchun: Jilin University, 2015.
[7] LI L. Structure design and fatigue life study of rubber bushing for commercial vehicle thrust rod [D]. Changchun: Jilin University, 2017.
[8] KE J, ZU H F, SHI W K. A multi-objective optimization method for the spherical hinge of a thrust rod based on the finite element method and genetic algorithm [J]. Automotive Engineering, 2020, 42(02): 178-183.
[9] SHI W K, KE J, WANG Q, et al. Limit load analysis and spherical hinge structure optimization for v-type thrust rod [J]. Journal of Xi’An Jiao Tong University, 2013, 47(10): 132-136.
[10] CAO Z, WANG Y, LIANG J, et al. Failure analysis of v-type thrust bar of commercial vehicle [J]. Automobile Applied Technology, 2021, 46(14): 69-72.
[11] YANG S H. Bionic design and finite element analysis of the working surface of the ball hinge of the thrust rod of the automobile [D]. Changchun: Jilin University, 2023.
[12] HOU K, SHEN Y Q, QIAO X. Design and research on thrust rod of hollow sphere pin [J]. Automobile Applied Technology, 2020, 45(18): 66-67.
[13] Alexander E. Ehret. On a molecular statistical basis for Ogden's model of rubber elasticity [J]. Journal of the Mechanics and Physics of Solids, 2015, 78. 
[14] FAN Z R, ZHANG J, HUO Z B, et al. Finite element simulation of static stiffness of annular nitrile butadiene [J]. Materials for Mechanical Engineering, 2024, 48(01): 93-98. 
[15] LIU R J, ZHANG Y W, WEN C W, et al. Study on the design and analysis methods of orthogonal experiment [J]. Experimental Technology and Management, 2010, 27(09): 52-55.

Sponsors, Associates, and Links

---

• Cybernetics and Mechatronics
  
  
• Digital Manufacturing and Process Management
  
  
• Ultra-Precision Machining Process
  
  
• Journal of Robotics and Biomimetics
  
  
• Prognostics, Diagnostics and Health Management
  
  
• Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems
  
  
• Journal of Precision Instrument and Machinery
  
  
• Engineering and Solid Mechanics
  
  
• Fracture and Damage Mechanics
  
  
• Frontiers in Tribology
  
  
• Fluid and Power Machinery
  
  
• Chemical Process Equipment
  
  
• Journal of Assembly and Manufacturing
  
  
• Mechanical Vibration and Noise