Design and Optimization of an All-Terrain Vehicle Upright

Abstract

An upright is the most crucial component of the suspension system of an All-terrain vehicle. It acts as a link for other component such as suspension arms, drive axle, steering tie rod, wheel hub, and brake calliper enabling a smooth comfortable ride. The upright has to withstand the entire force experienced during the dynamics of the vehicle before the energy is dampened by the coil-overs. The brake calliper is mounted on the upright and thus it has to withstand the forces generated during braking. Considering these factors, the design of the upright has to be highly efficient and done with utmost precision ensuring no or minimum failure. This paper outlines the design, analysis and optimization of the upright to be used in the ATV that will participate in BAJA SAE events of India and USA. The basic sketch necessary to design the upright is created in the form of a line diagram of the front geometry suspension system in Solid works. This geometry is then analysed using LOTUS software ensuring a near to perfect ride and handling. The 3D CAD model of the upright is designed in Solid works with respect to the front geometry of the suspension. The static structural analysis of the model is then performed on ANSYS mechanical followed by topological optimization of the model. Based on the results from this analysis, the improved CAD model of the upright has been designed and analysed. The main objective of this paper is to come up with a highly optimized design that ensures a high factor of safety while maintaining a lower weight. These optimizations proved to be helpful by reducing the weight of the component around 60 grams and increasing the factor of safety from 1.58 to 2.43.