Virtual Simulating of Residual Stresses in Aluminum Wheel Designs 2009-01-0417

The current study shows interesting results obtained by a new virtual approaching for evaluating the final stresses presented in automotive components during its application in vehicle which suggests product engineers a new tool for measuring the residual stresses in casting. As part of this proposal, an automotive as-cast aluminum wheel belong to current production was evaluated in accordance with data acquired in its manufacturing process. At that step, it was taking into account the real information of casting process parameters and the metallurgic results obtained in laboratorial tests such as, metallographic, chemical and mechanical tests. FEA (Finite Element Analysis) on simulation of wheel loading stress was made regarding those preliminary data obtained in CRSFEA simulation (cast residual stress finite element analysis) as entered parameters. In this work, due to strong influence of the residual stresses, the new resultant loading stress map (FEA^N) shows considerable differences from results obtained in regular simulation (FEA) currently applied in design development phases which propose a new technique for improving the quality of new cast products, better structural performance and mass and cost reductions.