Due to the global environment problems and the consumer's need for higher fuel efficiency, it becomes very important for the global automotive industry to reduce the vehicle weight. The link component of chassis is applied by 6-DOFs (degree offreedom)...
Due to the global environment problems and the consumer's need for higher fuel efficiency, it becomes very important for the global automotive industry to reduce the vehicle weight. The link component of chassis is applied by 6-DOFs (degree offreedom) loads and should withstand the loads for life cycle. The existed I-beam type link component may have a weak point for a special direction load. In present study, it was innovatively investigated to the optimal shape of link component that could withstand all directions loads and reduce the weight. The 3 type shapes were analyzed and the best optimized shape was found. The optimized design can reduce the weight by 40% of original link that made with steel. The environment and energy related problem has become one of the most important global issues in recent years. Accordingly there have been significant efforts on improving the fuel efficiency of automobiles. One of the most effective ways of improving the fuel efficiency of automobiles is the weight reduction. For example, a new generation six-passenger car is currently under development in the advanced countries and the targeted fuel efficiency is more than three times of the current level.