Design improvement of steering knuckle through topology optimization for additive manufacturing

Topology optimization helps in weight reduction by optimizing the material layout without affecting its structural integrity. The density based approach helps in allocating material as per the requirement optimally and proves advantageous in fully harnessing the potential of additive manufacturing for the production of intricate and complex parts. The demand for lightweight steering knuckle has necessitated the incorporation of topology optimization for additive manufacturing. The inclusion of the modified complexity factor to assess manufacturability through additive manufacturing after the topology optimization is the novelty of the research. This paper focused on improving the steering knuckle design which acts as the pivot point of the steering system. First, static structural analysis was performed to identify different stress areas for design modification. Second, design improvement was carried out to reduce the component’s weight. Third, the modal and harmonic analysis was performed to determine the vibrational behaviour of the component. For 14.8% weight reduction, minimum deviation of stress and deformation were witnessed. Also observed that the topology optimized component had a similar trend like the original, within the allowable range of variation in its natural frequencies and maximum amplitude. Finally, the manufacturability of the topology optimized component through additive manufacturing was verified using a modified complexity factor.