IJESRT INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENGINEERING SCIENCES & RESEARCH TECHNOLOGY MODELING AND STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS OF ALLOY WHEEL USING ANSYS

Abstract

Wheel spokes are the supports consisting of a radial member of a wheel joining the hub to the rim with Carbon Fiber, Magnesium Alloy, Titanium Alloy and Aluminum Alloy. The two main types of motorcycle rims are solid wheels, in which case the rim and spokes are all cast as one unit, usually in Aluminum or magnesium alloys and the other spoke wheels, where the motorcycle rims are laced with spokes which require high spoke tension, since the load is carried by fewer spokes. If a spoke does break, the wheel generally becomes instantly un-ridable also the hub may break. Presently, for high cc bikes Magnesium wheels are used, due to its low heat resistance and micronisation of crystal grains, replacing it with Aluminum alloy. This Simulation work attempts to model the wheel of a two wheeler racing by using the CATIA Software, and conducting the tests: Static and Fatigue analysis using the ANSYS software by reducing the number of spokes from 5 to 4 for the existing model. Based on simulation work, a better material for alloy wheels may be analyzed from the results obtained and validated.

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IJESRT
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENGINEERING SCIENCES & RESEARCH
TECHNOLOGY
MODELING AND STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS OF ALLOY WHEEL USING ANSYS
Mr. Sasank Shekhar Panda*, Mr. Dibya Narayan Behera, Mr. Satya Narayan Tripathy
*Research scholar, Department of Mechanical Engineering, G.I.E.T, Gunupur. Rayagada, India
Research scholar, Department of Mechanical Engineering, G.I.E.T, Gunupur. Rayagada, India
Research scholar, Department of Mechanical Engineering, G.I.E.T, Gunupur. Rayagada, India
DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.47607 ABSTRACT
Wheel spokes are the supports consisting of a radial member of a wheel joining the hub to the rim with Carbon
Fiber, Magnesium Alloy, Titanium Alloy and Aluminum Alloy. The two main types of motorcycle rims are solid
wheels, in which case the rim and spokes are all cast as one unit, usually in Aluminum or magnesium alloys and the
other spoke wheels, where the motorcycle rims are laced with spokes which require high spoke tension, since the
load is carried by fewer spokes. If a spoke does break, the wheel generally becomes instantly un-ridable also the hub
may break. Presently, for high cc bikes Magnesium wheels are used, due to its low heat resistance and micronisation
of crystal grains, replacing it with Aluminum alloy. This Simulation work attempts to model the wheel of a two
wheeler racing by using the CATIA Software, and conducting the tests: Static and Fatigue analysis using the
ANSYS software by reducing the number of spokes from 5 to 4 for the existing model. Based on simulation work, a
better material for alloy wheels may be analyzed from the results obtained and validated.
KEYWORDS: Alloy Wheel, CATIA, ANSYS, Static and Fatigue analysis
INTRODUCTION
A wheel is a circular device that is capable of rotating on its axis, facilitating movement or transportation while
supporting a load (mass), or performing labour in machines. Safety and economy are particularly of major concerns
when designing a mechanical structure so that the people could use them safely and economically. Style, weight,
manufacturability and performance are the four major technical issues related to the design of a new wheel and/or its
optimization mainly for Aluminum wheels according to governmental regulations and industry standards [1-3]. In
the real service conditions, the determination of mechanical behaviour of the wheel is important, but the testing and
inspection of the wheels during their development process is time consuming and costly. For economic reasons, it is
important to reduce the time spent during the development and testing phase of a new wheel. Finite element analysis
(FEA) was carried out by simulating the test conditions to analyze the stress distribution and fatigue life of alloy
wheels. The analytical results using FEA to predict the wheel fatigue life agreed well with the experimental results
[4]. A mathematical model was developed to predict the residual stress distribution of an A356 alloy wheel, taking
into account the residual stress evolution during the T6 quench process and redistribution of residual stress due to
the material removal at the machining stage. The fatigue life of an A356 wheel was predicted by integrating the
residual stress into the in-service loading and wheel casting defects (pores). The residual stress showed a moderate
influence on the fatigue life of the wheel, which was more sensitive to casting pore size and service stress due to
applied loads [6]. By improved Smith formula, finite element analysis of stress values as the basic parameters for
wheel fatigue life prediction [5]. ABAQUS software to build the static load finite element model of Aluminum
wheels for simulating the rotary fatigue test [7]. The equivalent stress amplitude was calculated based on the
nominal stress method by considering the effects of mean load, size, and fatigue notch, surface finish and scatter
factors. The fatigue life of Aluminum wheels was predicted by using the equivalent stress amplitude and Aluminum
alloy wheel S-N curve. The results from the Aluminum wheel rotary fatigue bench test showed that the baseline
wheel failed the test and its crack initiation was around the hub bolt hole area that agreed with the simulation. Using
the method proposed in this paper, the wheel life cycle was improved to over 1.0×10 5 and satisfied the design

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requirement. A mathematical model was developed to predict the residual stress distribution of an A356 alloy rim,
taking into account the residual stress evolution during the T6 quench process [9]. Static and fatigue analysis of
Aluminum alloy wheel A356 by finite element idealization modal using the 10 node tetrahedron solid element in
static condition and the wheel was designed using CATIA [8], total deformation, alternative stress and shear stress is
simulated by using FEA software.
This paper starts by modelling of the alloy wheel in a two-wheeler racing bike using the Pro/Engineer Software for
five different materials viz. LM 25, LM25TB7, LM 25TE, LM25TF and AM60A and conducting the tests: Static
and Fatigue analysis using the CATIA software by reducing the number of spokes from 6 to5 and then 5 to 4 for the
existing model. Based on simulation work, a better material for alloy wheels may be analyzed from the results
obtained and validated.
MODELING IN PRO-E
Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire is the standard in 3D product design, featuring industry-leading productivity tools that
promote best practices in design while ensuring compliance with industry and company standards. Figure 1 shows
the sketch of alloy wheel.
CATIA Works
CATIA is useful software for design analysis in mechanical engineering. CATIA is a design analysis automation
application fully integrated with Solid Works. This software uses the Finite Element Method (FEM) to simulate the
working conditions of your designs and predict their behaviour. FEM requires the solution of large systems of
equations. Powered by fast solvers, CATIA makes it possible for designers to quickly check the integrity of their
designs and search for the optimum solution. A product development cycle typically includes the following steps:
1. Build your model in the Solid Works CAD system.
2. Prototype the design.
3. Test the prototype in the field.
4. Evaluate the results of the field tests.
Fig. 1:- Specifications of the Alloy Wheel with Dimensions Figure 2:- the importing of Alloy Wheel with meshing
2

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Table- 1 Material Properties
S. No
PROPERTY
Al Alloy
201.0-T43 Insulated
Mg Alloy
Mold Casting (SS)
ZK60*
1
Elastic Modulus(GPa)
71
45
2
Poisson's Ration
0.33
0.35
3
Mass Density (kg/m3)
2800
1700
4
Tensile Strength (MPa)
273
425
5
Yield Strength (MPa)
225
382
6
Thermal Expansion Coefficient(/K)
1.90E-05
1.90E-05
7
Thermal Conductivity W/(m. K)
121
160
8
Specific Heat J/(kg.K)
963
1000
Table- 2 Mesh Information and details are represented
TYPE OF WHEEL MODEL
With 6 Spokes
With 5 Spokes
With 4 Spokes
Element Size
6 mm
6 mm
6 mm
Tolerance
0.3 mm
0.3 mm
0.3 mm
Mesh Quality
High
High
High
Total Nodes
138283
129933
121024
Total Elements
77485
72121
66289
Maximum Aspect Ratio
27.471
27.339
27.337
% of elements with Aspect Ratio < 3
76.2
74.2
72.8
% of elements with Aspect Ratio > 10
0.246
0.326
0.291
% of distorted elements(Jacobian)
0
0
0
Time to complete mesh*(hh;mm;ss):
00:02:00
00:01:59
00:01:56

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TABLE 3 : SIMULATION RESULT DETAILS
With 6 Spokes
Al alloy
With 5 Spokes Al alloy
With 4 Spokes Mg alloy
MESHED MODELS
Fig 1
Fig 8
Fig 15
STRESS ANALYSIS
Fig 2
Fig9
Fig 16
DISPLACEMENT ANALYSIS
Fig 3
Fig 10
Fig 17

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STRESS ANALYSIS FOR BREAKING
TORQUE
Fig 4
Fig 11
Fig 18
DISPLACEMENT ANALYSIS FOR
BREAKING TORQUE
Fig 5
Fig 12
Fig 19
FATIGUE LIFE ANALYSIS
Fig 6
Fig 13
Fig 20

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ISOMETRIC VIEWS OF MODELS
Fig 7
Fig 14
Fig 21
For Different Loads Stress on Each Rim –
Applied Loads
Load 0 = weight of Bike (143 vehicle +20extra kg)
Load 1 = (163+65) kg
Load 2 = (163+65X2) kg
Load 3 = (163+65X3) kg
Load 4 = (163+65X4) kg
Load 5 = (163+65X5) kg
Load 6 = (163+65X6) kg
Analysis for strength needed:
Mass of Bike, Dead Weight of Bike =143kg
Other Loads = 20 Kg
Total Gross Weight =143 + 20 = 163 Kg
= 163X 9.81 N
Tires and Suspension system reduced by 30% of Loads
Wnet = 163 X 9.81 X 0.7 N = 1119.32N
Reaction Forces On Bike=Nr = 1119.32N
Number of Wheels: 2
But by considering total Reaction Force on only one wheel FT =1119.32N
Rim surface area which is having 6 spokes: A6 = 48299.69 mm2
(This can be obtained from selecting faces on rim by using measuring tool in solid works)
Stress on the each Rim = NA = 0.02321 N/mm2
So pressure on the each rim for load 0 = 0.02321 N/mm2
It is similarly for different Loads Stress on Each Rim with Loads
Pressure by Load 1 = 0.0324 N/mm2
Pressure by Load 2 = 0.0417 N/mm2
Pressure by Load 3 = 0.0509 N/mm2
Pressure by Load 4 = 0.0601 N/mm2
Pressure by Load 5 = 0.0694 N/mm2
Pressure by Load 6 = 0.0786 N/mm2
Applying Pressures:
Apply 0.011945MPa pressure simulations normal to the faces as shown in the figure
Again it is similarly for rims with spokes 5 & 4. The simulation results are as shown in figures.
Applying Braking Torque:
In general Acceleration of the street motorcycle: a = (vf - vi) / t

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vf- final velocity= max of 60miles in 3.5sec
vi- initial velocity = 0 miles,
=>a - acceleration= 7.6636m/s2
Brake force is required to estimate the load on the wheel hub. Now Total force acting on the vehicle:
Mass of the vehicle including rider and other five more persons M=163+65X6
Ftotal =M X a = 4237.9 N
Torque on the hub:
T = Fr X R in N.m
(here Fr is the force on the each wheel=0.5Ftotal & R is radius of the rim = 0.25m )
T = 2119X0.25 = 529 N.m
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Stress analysis values for 6, 5-Spokes Al-alloy and 4 spoke Mg-alloy in the following table.
LOADING
Stresses In the Alloy Wheel in MPa
With 6 Spoke Al
with 5 Spokes Al
With 4 Spokes Mg
S.NO
Description
load (N)
Alloy
Alloy
Alloy
1
Motorcycle Load
1119.321
2.182
2.312
2.269
2
with 1 Man
1565.676
3.044
3.323
3.169
3
with 3 Men
2012.031
3.925
4.154
4.078
4
with 4 Men
2458.386
5.054
5.075
4.978
5
with 5 Men
2904.741
5.655
6.002
5.877
6
with 6 Men
3351.096
6.532
6.924
6.788
7
with 7 Men
3797.451
7.398
7.841
7.686
The Stresses induced in the 4-Spokes Mg Alloy wheel 7.686 MPa is less as compared with the Stresses induced in
the 5-Spokes Al alloy (AM60A), and also nearer to Al-alloys with 6 spokes. So in the 4 spoke model can substitute
to the 6 or 5 spoke wheels safely.
Table-4 Weight (N) reduction in the model
No. of spokes
Mg
Al
% of weight saving
6 spokes
24.3911
40.1294
60.78
5 spokes
21.8042
35.8761
60.77
4 spokes
19.1728
31.608
60.66
Table-5 Max. Von-Mises Stress due to braking torque in the wheel (by considering drum braking):
in 6 spoke Al-alloy wheel
251.526 > yield stress
in 5 spoke Al-alloy wheel
250.148> yield stress
in 4 spoke Al-alloy wheel
246.472< yield stress (safe stresses)
CONCLUSION
The objective was to reduce the weight of the alloy wheel has been achieved. The current design is 60% lighter than
the original design. What more can be done to reduce the weight. In this work the overall dimensions are controlled
by reducing number of spokes to the alloy wheel with same functioning stability and less weight. The stress and
displacements in 4 spoke alloy wheel are lesser than six and five spokes alloy wheels. And also having higher FOS
in the four spoke model design.
SCOPE FOR FUTURE WORK:
1) Further to do optimization of material thickness to reduce the material consumption.
2) Further to improve life of component by using advanced fatigue strain life approach.

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