STRESS ANALYSIS OF CONTROL ARM BUSH

Abstract

This thesis details the theoretical and finite element method to predict the stresses, deformation and strength prediction in a Control Arm bush (mostly made up of rubber), subjected to in-plane static loading. The three-dimensional analysis and analytical solution have been carried out to validate the stress and failure modes predicted under in-plane loading. The results were in good approximation with theoretical calculations, i.e. Sections forces were matching as obtained theoretically and by FEM using ABAQUS®/CAE. 3-D finite element analyses were conducted to determine the stresses, contact stresses and strain distribution. The sensitivity of the ride characteristics of a road vehicle to the mechanical characteristics of the bushings used in its suspension is discussed here. First, the development and implementation, on a multibody dynamic’s environment, of a constitutive relation to model bushing elements associated with mechanical joints is presented. Bushings are made of a rubber material, which is also considered as a nonlinear and viscoelastic relationship between the forces and moments and their corresponding displacements and rotations. Suitable bushing models for vehicle multibody models must be accurate and computationally efficient, leading to more reliable models. The bushing is modeled in a multibody code as an arrangement of springs that penalize the motion between the bodies connected. In the methodology proposed here, a finite element model of the bushing is developed in the