Challenge:
Yamaha Motor Company wanted to improve performance of its off-road motorcycle of its off-road motorcycle radiator assemblies and was looking for a way to reduce time-consuming real-world testing.
Solution:
Abaqus FEA from Dassault Systèmes SIMULIA provided accurate, realistic simulations of the mechanism of motorcycle tip-overs on the deformation of the components.
Benefits:
Yamaha is now confident that its radiator assembly strength simulations accurately predict physical test results, has identified the optimum locations for countermeasures, and can use its highly reliable simulation tools for developing new, more effective designs.
If an off-road motorcycle topples over at low speed during a competition, minor damage can accumulate that affects the motorcycle’s performance. For example, the impact from the motorcycle hitting the ground can deform the radiator assembly enough to reduce cooling performance, cause a coolant leak—or both.
Installing a plastic side cover helps protect the radiator assembly, and both the radiator and the plastic cover can withstand deformation if the motorcycle falls on its side at low speed. But Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd.’s engineers found that identifying exactly where to strengthen the radiators and plastic covers in its liquid-cooled, off-road motorcycles was requiring a high degree of trial and error.
“We would have to perform a lot of physical testing to identify the locations for countermeasures, including plastic cover design and thickness, radiator bracket, and bolt locations,” explains Mr. Masakazu Yamaya, Supervisor, Research & Development Section, Technology Center, Yamaha Motor Co. “This testing to analyze the strength of real-world vehicles would consume a tremendous amount of time and prototype parts. It would also make physical testing expensive and prone to human error.”
So Yamaha decided on a different, simulation-based approach, and carefully verified their new analysis methodologies through simplified laboratory testing. “After building various physical test setups to establish baselines for what we needed to know for damage assessment, we developed computer simulations of the physical tests,” explains Mr.Yamaya. “We realized that if our simulations correlated well with the results of the physical tests, then the simulations would be an effective design support tool.”
Want to learn more?
Discover how Yamaha leverages simulation to design it’s toughest and best performing off-road motorcycles yet!
