Lightweighting of Wishbone Finite Element Analysis

This paper focuses on lightweighting of wishbone structure for ordinary 5-seated commercial vehicle. Typically, the wishbone structure is made of high carbon steel and the aim is to investigate if the composite materials, such as E-Glass/Epoxy, Carbon/Epoxy and Boron/Epoxy, can achieve the lightweighting purpose without compromising material strength. The study is carried out through finite element package (Siemen NX) with the consideration of three different loading conditions, namely, lateral force, vertical force and braking force. Throughout the study, it has been found that both Carbon/Epoxy and Boron/Epoxy is able to reduce the weight by 46% while maintaining the required strength.