Abstract
KEYWORDS:
front axle, motor grader, weight reduction, optimum design, cost reduction, design validation
ABSTRACT:
Engineering components with optimum use of material and easy manufacturability is a direction where prior simulation through finite element method is found to be very useful. Front axle of motor grader is one of the major and very important component and needs very good design as this part experiences the worst load condition of the whole motor grader. The objective of this paper was to analyse two new design solution, cast and welded, of the front axle of motor grader for three worst load conditions obtained by superimposing real accidental situations in the motor grader working conditions. The existing design has no field failure reports; so the results of the existing design were taken as basis for comparison with results of the proposed models. Based on the finite element analysis results, redesign was carried out for the front axle for weight optimization and easy manufacturability. The reduction in cost of production and weight significantly reduced the cost of the new design of front axle. This analysis work showcases the use of finite element analysis as a method for reduction of cost in terms of materials and manufacturing.