Motorcycles are some of the most exciting vehicles to drive, but they offer little protection to shield the driver from an accident. Therefore, a reliable braking system is of extreme importance.
We asked Gergana Dimitrova, Senior Technical Specialist with SIMULIA who developed this workflow, to provide answers to some common questions.
Q. Why does this workflow need to be analyzed?
A. The rotor is a key component of a disc brake system. Although it might look like a relatively simple part, it has to fulfill many design requirements that can prove challenging for engineers. It needs to be lightweight and contribute to the entire vehicle’s driving performance and eco-efficiency. At the same time, its integrity should not be compromised. The choice of material and design both influence the stopping power of the brakes—especially in extreme conditions. Other factors to consider are endurance, noise and vibration, aesthetics, and cost.
Q. Describe the workflow.
A. This workflow combines the simulation of different engineering disciplines, like thermal and structural analysis, with design exploration and optimization techniques. Using these different disciplines helps to quickly come up with an innovative design of a motorcycle brake rotor. First, hundreds of different vent hole patterns are automatically investigated to determine the best combination of number, size, and location of the openings on the disc so that the most efficient cooling can be achieved. Afterwards, topology optimization is used to find the optimal material distribution for a lightweight but stiff design of the carrier that can sustain severe braking conditions. Finally, fatigue analysis and shape optimization are combined to fine-tune the design and ensure its durability.
Q. What are you trying to learn from this simulation?
A. Thermal analysis helps us to better understand the cooling process in the disc. Thermal management is critical for the reliable operation of the brakes. If energy produced during braking cannot be absorbed and dissipated efficiently this will not only impair stopping at any given occasion, but can also speed up the wear and damage of the brakes permanently. Structural and fatigue analysis can reveal other modes of failure as well, including abuse due to application of severe loads or fatigue due to repeatable but small loads coming from specific driver profiles or road types.
Q. Which SIMULIA solutions did you use?
A. We used Abaqus for structural and thermal analysis and fe-safe for durability assessment. We automated the process with Isight to generate and evaluate different designs and also employed Isight’s optimization capabilities to come up with the best trade-off for the disc parameters. For the concept design of the carrier we used the Tosca Structure topology module, and for the detailed design we used the Tosca Structure shape optimization in combination with Abaqus and fe-safe.
Q. What were the advantages of using simulation?
A. Simulation gives us rapid feedback about the product quality well before the product is actually manufactured. In a process where many designs need to be investigated, it is essential to be able to quickly and reliably predict the performance of each variant. Simulation helps us understand the underlying physics and optimization that can unlock the potential for improvements and it gives us ideas for effective design changes, as well as helps us find the trade-off of parameters to fulfill conflicting requirements. Furthermore, integrating the design evaluation into an automated process speeds up the product development immensely.
See this workflow in action!
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