Design improvement for a front suspension bracket in a heavy commercial vehicle producible with aluminum casting

In this study, the suspension bracket of a heavy commercial vehicle is designed by using aluminum casting. Suspension brackets of heavy commercial vehicles are traditionally produced by cast iron. By converting material from cast iron to aluminum casting, high amount of weight reduction target is achieved. Thus increase in commercial vehicle's payload and decrease in fuel consumption goals are reached. Firstly, current situation is revealed in the study. For this purpose, cast iron front suspension bracket's design and feasibility informations are examined. According to these informations, it is decided that low pressure die casting is the most feasible aluminium casting method for the suspension bracket. After the casting method is specified, design of the bracket is improved. Tooling angles of the part are increased to be easily removed from steel dies. Surfaces, which are used to connect suspension parts, are extended to provide steel core movement between the dies. Depletions on the inclined area are filled to seperate lower and upper die smoothly. Remaining depletions' areas are minimized. Ribs, which carry most of the suspension loads, are thickened. With these design changes, part is made producible with low pressure die casting. After design phase is completed, static, dynamic and fatigue analyses are applied. Beside these, physical tests are done which simulate potential assembly problems of the part with surrounding systems. As a result of the study, design of the suspension bracket is improved as appropriate to low pressure die casting method and weight reduction target is achieved by decreasing weight from 27 to 12 kilograms. Total vehicle weight will be reduced 30 kilograms and more payload & less fuel consumption targets will be reached.