Fatigue assessment and reliability in automotive design 2001-01-4061
The fatigue assessment of automotive components is performed using statistical approaches to predict the reliability. The keystone of this evaluation is the specification which set the geometrical constraints linked to the vehicle architecture and the types of loading encountered.
The computational fatigue design includes numerous difficulties conducting to a complex problem. This paper describes the main aspects of the approach:
the definition of a loading representative of customer's uses including counting method and cumulative damage law.
the multiaxial fatigue approach and fatigue criteria for plain and welded components.
the risk analysis taking into account the fabrication scatter (material and process) with regard to the distribution of the customer's severity.
Example of application on automotive chassis part, engine component or body are given to illustrate these new developments in fatigue assessment.