Mechanical Design Analysis and Test in Support of the Market Introduction of a New Vehicle

This paper reports results from a stress, acoustics and vibration investigation of the ride and driveline components of a new 2-seater sports car. The work was aimed at giving design assurance information to designers and vehicle engineers working to compressed timescales. The paper focuses on two particular areas: design of the power train for NVH refinement, and design analysis of a suspension wishbone. In the first case, a dynamic model of drive shaft torsion effects was created to understand design relationships needed for high power, high torque performance car. In the second case, an investigation was made into the integrity of a suspension wishbone component when gauge thickness was reduced from 3 mm to 2 mm. The work described was carried out in a joint industry academic venture sponsored by Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP). It is from this background that the authors give some perspectives on vehicle development.