2012-36-0195

Optimization of new plastic bracket NVH characteristics using CAE

Reinaldo dos Santos
Ford Motor Company

Masoud Saadat
Ford Motor Company

Santosh Neriya
Ford Motor Company

David Popejoy
Ford Motor Company

Valter E. Beal
SENAI CIMATEC
Copyright 2012 SAE International

ABSTRACT
NVH requirements are critical in new driveline developments. Failure modes due to resonances must be carefully analyzed and potential root causes must have adequate countermeasures. One of the most common root causes is the modal alignment. This work shows the steps to design and optimize a new plastic bracket for an automotive half shaft bearing. This bracket replaces a very stiff bracket, made of cast iron. The initial design of plastic bracket was not stiff enough to bring natural frequency of the system above engine second order excitation at maximum speed. The complete power pack was modeled and NVH CAE analysis was performed. The CAE outputs included Driving Point Response, Frequency Response Function and Modal analysis. The boundary conditions were discussed deep in detail to make sure the models represented actual system. After some iteration, weaker areas were identified and the design was changed, increasing stiffness and shifting some low frequency modes to higher frequencies. The remaining mode below engine second order could not be changed adequately, so a different strategy needed to be taken. An elastomeric isolator was added between bearing and bracket, in order to dampen the vibrations. The material chosen was EPDM, due to its damping coefficient and high temperature resistance. The model was submitted to a new analysis, when the stiffness of the isolator could be determined in order to match the resonant frequency. This isolator reduced the transmissibility of the vibration through bracket and the amplitude of the vibration was decreased to an acceptable level with this strategy.

Legislation CAFE (Corporate Average Fuel Economy) has rigid targets for fuel consumption and emissions. It determines that vehicles, which have a fuel consumption 28.8 miles per gallon in 2010, must present a fuel consumption as low as 34.1 miles per gallon until 2016 (CHEAH et al., 2010). There are different strategies to meet these targets. Alternatives on how to improve the efficiency of powertrains, use alternative energy sources, improve aerodynamics and reduce size and mass of vehicles have been investigated in many researches. Simulations show that a mass reduction of 10% can bring a fuel consumption reduction of 6.7% in passenger vehicles and 7.6% in pickups in North America (HEYWOOD, 2010). The mass reduction can be achieved through a combination of material substitution, redesign of vehicles, and components and also its size reduction. The conventional materials used in vehicle construction can be replaced, mainly, by high strength steel, aluminum, composites and thermoplastics (CHEAH et al., 2007). The usage of thermoplastics in automotive applications is currently very common. Most of modern vehicles have around 100 150kg of plastics per unit (MARK, 2004). However, most of these components are used as trim parts. With the development of new engineering plastics, more resistant to high temperatures, chemical attack and mechanical solicitations, its usage as structural components have been increasing. One of the most used polymers in this kind of application is the Polyamide. The addition of fillers and additives made the polyamide a good substitute for metallic parts in many applications. Even though polymers have many advantages, the working conditions in powertrains are very severe for this kind of

INTRODUCTION
There is a big demand for automobiles with smaller fuel consumption and emissions levels. The North American

material. High temperatures, high intensity and cyclic loads, and vibration excitations are examples of usual conditions in powertrains regular usage. Polymers can degrade under high temperatures and become fragile under low temperatures. They are less resistant to peak efforts and fatigue than most metals and their fatigue mechanisms are more difficult to predict. The stiffness of polymers is also much reduced comparing to metals. Some of the potential failure modes of these applications are related to NVH. Vibration excitations can be amplified due to resonances. This can degrade the occupant comfort and in the extreme case can lead to a catastrophic structural failure. These factors must be taken in account when developing a polymeric component, in order to avoid undesired results. This work describes the development of a powertrain bracket in polyamide. The function of the part is to hold a bearing of half shaft system. Currently this part is made of cast iron and its mass is approximately 1.4kg. The current part is very stiff and resistant to the applied loads. A holder (steel strap) attached to the bracket holds the bearing that supports the linkshaft. This assembly is bolted to the engine block. The proposed part is made of PA 6.6 GF (Polyamide 6.6 glass fiber reinforced). It has a plastic body with an integrated holder, closed with a bolt and a nut. Between the holder and the bearing there is an EPDM (Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomer) ring. The function of this ring is to isolate vibrations and compensate thermal expansion. The ring in contact with the bracket is made of the same material (PA 6.6 GF). The ring attached to the bearing is made of steel. The intermediate layer is made of EPDM. This material was chosen due to its temperature resistance and damping factor.

was adjusted to the critical frequencies, avoiding resonance effects.

OPTIMIZATION WITH CAE

Once the targets were set, the design was submitted to a fatigue simulation. A key assumption was made that the bracket material was homogeneous and isotropic, due to difficulties to predict the fiber orientation (due to mold filling), as well as limitations of the fatigue software. The simulation calculated the damage for one force unit (1N) in each direction (x, y, z). Then, accumulated damage for all the loads applied along durability tests, scaling each load case according to the measured road load data at each time step, is calculated. The first results showed a poor fatigue life for the part due to stress concentration in some areas, as shown in red in the figure 1.

TARGET SETTING
Once the concept was defined, the durability, NVH and temperature targets were set. Concerning durability, the RLD (road load data) was acquired in the routes of the vehicle durability tests. To measure the actuating forces in the bracket accurately a device was built. It replaces the bracket and acquires data through a load cell. Another important measurement taken was the working and peak temperatures. These temperatures vary according usage conditions, but for simulation purposes the values considered as the worst conditions were: Working temperature: 100oC Peak temperature: 140oC

Figure 1 Fatigue CAE results

The design was improved using topology optimization in the software Optistruct. The analysis showed the areas with higher stress concentration, where the part should be reinforced (fig. 2).

The natural frequency target of the system was set as 260Hz minimum. This definition considered the maximum engine 2nd. order excitation, with a 30% safety coefficient. The part must be stiff enough to keep the natural frequency of the system above this target, avoiding resonances. This target is easily achieved with the current bracket. For the plastic bracket, due to its lower stiffness, a different strategy was adopted. The noise factor (resonance due to low stiffness) was compensated with the tuning of the EPDM ring. Its stiffness

Figure 2 Regions to be improved shown in the topological study

Some ribs were added in the weaker areas. The fatigue life was increased, but there were still areas with low fatigue life. The results can be seen in the figure 3.

Figure 3 Fatigue CAE results for the part with added ribs

After this work, the design was submitted to a NVH CAE in order to understand its behavior in terms of natural frequencies. The whole powertrain was modeled and the main components were checked for resonances. Multiple iterations were performed to determine the modes as well as the response of the linkshaft bracket under unit load excitation. The Driving Point Response analysis was also performed, where the bracket response is measured at the excitation location (fig. 4). Different materials are considered before identifying the optimal material for the linkshaft bracket. A preliminary simulation was done, considering extreme and intermediate combinations of material resistance and temperature, to help understanding the system. The material characteristics were taken from Rhodia Technyl Product Datasheets (RHODIA, 2010). The combinations are listed below: Material working temperature 140oC 100oC 23oC

Figure 4 - System FE model and the Driving Point Response locations

The work was intended to characterize the effect of both the bracket and EPDM ring materials on the natural frequency of the system, using the same bracket geometry. At first, the EPDM ring was considered as being made of the same material as the bracket (PA.6.6 GF).

PA 6.6 40% GF (A 218 V40) PA 6.6 50% GF (A118 LV50) PA 6.6 60% GF (AFX 218 V60)

The characteristics of the materials considered for the simulations are listed in the table 1.
Figure 5 Comparison of resonant modes with different materials Table 1 - Different component properties used for the FE model

Material Temperature Tensile modulus [Mpa] Tensile Strength at break [Mpa] Tensile Elongation at break Poissons ratio Density Flexural modulus [Mpa]
o

A 218 V40
o o o

A 118 LV50
o o

AFX 218 V60

o o o

23 C 100 C 140 C 23 C 100 C 140 C 23 C 100 C 140 C 11400 6207 189.3 4 0.35 1.36 103 6.75 0.35 1.25 5165 13000 7474 89 8.76 0.35 1.16 203.6 4 0.35 1.38 111 5.99 0.35 1.31 6221 16000 9700 94 6.86 0.35 1.26 195 3.1 0.35 1.69 106 4.5 0.35 1.55 8000 90 5.2 0.35 1.45 6200

12230 6049

5352 16320 7644

7511 13800 6400

This simulation showed a small effect in the natural frequencies. The modes and frequencies were similar for the 3 materials (fig. 5). As a reference, similar analysis was performed considering the steel as the material. The Driving Point Response (DPR) analysis was performed by applying unit excitation in X, Y, and Z and measuring the acceleration in X, Y, and Z respectively. This analysis showed the resonant modes and their frequencies. The graphs show peaks around 70Hz, below the target of 260Hz (fig. 6).

Figure 8 Fatigue CAE final result

Figure 6 DPR analysis results

The areas with higher displacement and stress concentration (Von Mises) were identified (fig. 7). This helped to reinforce the part in the weaker areas
Figure 9 - Fatigue CAE final result

The new design was submitted to a new NVH simulation. The modes in this version were shifted to frequencies around 100 and 120 Hz. The part was reinforced with new ribs and analyzed again. The new results showed a reduction in the amplitudes, with negligible changes in the frequencies. Since the changes in the design havent shown the needed results, a different strategy was adopted. Instead of making the design more robust, it was changed to compensate the noise factor related to stiffness. The EPDM ring was then tuned. Its stiffness was set to in a way its oscilation could dampen the mode with higher influences in the system. For the resonant mode at 120Hz the stiffness were determined through CAE.
Fi Figure 7 Displacement (a) and Stress (b) plots

The part was reinforced with some ribs, showing small improvement. The part was then redesigned in order to eliminate some low frequency modes and increase the natural frequency of the remaining ones sitting below the target. The region of the holder was reinforced with some triangle shaped ribs and the base of the bracket was made larger, using the space available The part was submitted again to fatigue CAE and after improvements in the regions with high stress concentration, the analysis showed a better stress distribution, with fatigue life in the worst stress concentration areas above target (higher than 5.4 fatigue life cycles). The figures 8 and 9 show the stress distribution in the final version.

Given the EPDM material and damping characteristics, the dynamic stiffness curves of the EPDM, as shown in fig. 10 and 11, are determined as follows: The outer layer of the EPDM ring is fixed and unit load is applied at the center of the EPDM ring in different directions. Displacement of the application load is measured and inverted to get the dynamic stiffness of the EPDM from 0-500 Hz. Since the response of the analysis is the displacement of the part for the applied load and by definition stiffness is defined as Force/Displacement, in this case one unit force, the stiffness of the rubber would be the unit divided by Displacement.

The values from the curves at the resonant frequency of 120 Hz, calculated from the CAE, are shown below and provided to the supplier, for the design of EPDM ring. Radial Stiffness (Y & Z-Dir) = 2065 N/mm @ 120 Hz Axial Stiffness (X-Dir) = 1052 N/mm @ 120 Hz

Figure 12 DPR curves for initial, 1st. iteration and final bracket proposals

The figure 13 shows the modal analysis of the initial (baseline) proposal and final one. The reduction of amplitudes can be seen in the images. The modes in 103.5 and 137.5Hz had smaller amplitudes and have not shown big influence in the system response.

Figure 10 - Radial stiffness of the EPDM ring

Figure 13 - Modal Analysis Baseline (a) vs. New Proposed Figure 11 - Axial stiffness of the EPDM ring Design (b)

With radial and axial Stiffness shown curves it was possible to design a ring to achieve the design targets. The figure 12 shows a comparison of the Driving Point Responses of the first proposal (baseline), the 1st iteration and the final design. It shows the differences in terms of amplitude of vibration and frequency for the three designs after bracket changes and tuning the EPDM isolator. The proposed design with the presence of EPDM isolator shifts the response peaks between 250 and 300 Hz to a frequency above 300 Hz. It also reduces the amplitude of the responses around 120 Hz.

SUMMARY/CONCLUSIONS
This study has shown a way to design a new plastic part replacing an existing one made of cast iron. The optimization process was described in order to provide a better understanding of how the available tools can be used to achieve useful results for new applications. As expected, the plastic part design was not able to achieve natural frequency targets due its smaller stiffness. The package limitations also contributed to limit the improvement of the component. According to the simulation results, the strategy of compensate noise factor, tuning the EPDM isolator to the frequencies below the target was efficient to reduce vibration amplitudes. The next step of this development are building

prototypes of the plastic bracket and running a DOE (Design of Experiments) to confirm EPDM ring tuning. This DOE would consist in a series of physical modal analysis measurements with rings with different stiffness. This can be used to determine statistically the optimum value for EPDM ring stiffness to dampen the resonant frequencies.

sneriya@ford.com Powertrain NVH Research & Development Advanced Engineering Center, Ford Motor Co. 2400 Village Rd, Dearborn, MI 48124 - USA David Popejoy dpopejoy@ford.com ATNPC, Ford Motor Company 35500 Plymouth Rd., MD 246 Livonia, MI 48150 - USA Valter E. Beal valter.beal@fieb.org.br SENAI CIMATEC Av. Orlando Gomes, 1845 Salvador BA - Brazil

REFERENCES
1. CHEAH, Lynette et al. Factor of Two: Halving the Fuel Consumption of New U.S. Automobiles by 2035 Cambridge: Laboratory for Energy and Environment Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2007. 2. CHEAH, Lynette et al. Meeting U.S. passenger vehicle fuel economy standards in 2016 and beyond. Burlington: Elsevier, 2010 3. HEYWOOD, John B. Assessing the Fuel Consumption and GHG of Future In-Use Vehicles PEA-AIT International Conference on Energy and Sustainable Development: Issues and Strategies (ESD 2010) The Empress Hotel, Chiang Mai, Thailand. 2-4 June 2010. 4. MARK, Herman F. Encyclopedia of Polymer Science & Technology. 3rd ed. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2004. 5. RHODIA, Relatrio Tcnico FS: 2010-120, So Bernardo do Campo: Rhodia, 2010. 6. RHODIA, TECHNYL A 118L V50 - A FT 051 - FICHA TCNICA - VERSO 01, So Bernardo do Campo: Rhodia, 2000. 7. RHODIA, TECHNYL A 218 V40 Product Datasheet A FT 110- 2010, So Bernardo do Campo: Rhodia, 2010.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The authors gratefully acknowledge Alexandre Morbeck and Rhodia for the support with technical information of polyamides; Roberto Morinaga, for the support with NVH knowledge and incentive and Bin Juang and Jershi Chen for the CAE resources provided for this work.

DEFINITIONS/ABBREVIATIONS
CAD - Computer Aided Design CAE - Computer Aided Engineering CAFE - Corporate Average Fuel Economy DOE - Design of Experiments DPR - Driving Point Response EPDM - Ethylene propylene Diene monomer FE Finite element NVH Noise, Vibration and Harshness PA 6.6 - Polyamide 6.6 PA 6.6 GF - Polyamide 6.6 glass fiber reinforced RLD - Road load data

CONTACT INFORMATION
Reinaldo dos Santos rsant138@ford.com Av. Henry Ford, 2000 42810-225 - Camaari - BA - Brazil Masoud Saadat msaadat1@ford.com Powertrain NVH Research & Development Advanced Engineering Center, Ford Motor Co. 2400 Village Rd, Dearborn, MI 48124 - USA Santosh Neriya