Abstract
CAE plays a significant role in design and development of Tractor components. The Front Engine Accessory Drive (FEAD) systems are components which are mounted on the engine aggregate of the Tractor. Failures observed in the FEAD brackets & Intake-Exhaust system are majorly due to the vibration loads. The objective of this study is to find the root cause for these failures and to formulate a methodology which captures these failures upfront in CAE. The vibration loads affecting the FEAD brackets and Intake - Exhaust systems are majorly from engine and road which are random in nature. These random loads are collected through Data acquisition from road and engine test beds. Data analysis of the measured raw data is done using data analysis tool like nCode GlyphWorks, to extract Power Spectral Density (PSD) data for CAE. The PSD excitations are used to calculate the Vibration fatigue of the component using simulation software like LMS Virtual Lab. The validation of Fuel filter mounting bracket for higher hp Tractor is taken as a case study for vibration fatigue analysis. The Fuel filter mounting bracket is tested for Overload test cycle (OLTC) in engine test bed. The proposed bracket did not meet the target life cycles and failed on test bed. Accelerations and strain data measurement are taken to replicate the failure through simulation. Vibration fatigue analysis is done using this measured data and good lab to CAE correlation and failure location matching are obtained. New fuel filter bracket is designed and analyzed using the same methodology. The new fuel filter bracket is sustaining the target life cycles and clearing the simulation criteria. The new fuel filter bracket is tested in engine test bed and cleared the physical test successfully. This new Fuel filter bracket design is implemented in Tractor.