Finite Element Analysis and Optimization Design of the Drive Axle Housing

The article focuses on the static and modal analysis of the drive axle housing of a light truck using finite element method, aiming to optimize the design and verify its strength and stiffness. The study first used Solidworks to establish a three-dimensional model of the bridge shell and imported it into ANSYS Workbench for finite element analysis. Static analysis covers four typical working conditions: full load, maximum vertical force, maximum braking force, and maximum lateral force. The results show that the maximum deformation and stress concentration of the bridge shell are mainly distributed at the rear cover and half shaft sleeve, and the maximum stress under each working condition does not exceed the material yield strength (450MPa), and the maximum deformation is much lower than the national standard (1.5mm/m), indicating that the structural design is reasonable. Modal analysis reveals that the first 6 natural frequencies of the bridge shell all exceed 100Hz, far from the resonance frequency range generated by the interaction between the car and the ground (0-50Hz), indicating good structural stability. By using topology optimization, retaining 90% mass ratio, the overall mass of the bridge shell decreased by 6.66%. After optimization, the maximum equivalent stress decreased compared to before optimization, and the maximum deformation was basically the same. The maximum stress in all working states did not exceed the yield strength of the material, and the deformation met the standard. The research provides theoretical basis and technical support for the lightweight design and performance improvement of the drive axle housing.