Multi-Objective Optimization and Stress Analysis of an Automotive Upper Control Arm of Double Wishbone Suspension

The structural behavior of an upper control arm is essential in ensuring the durability and efficiency of suspension systems in vehicles. This paper provides a finite element-based topology optimization and structural analysis of an upper control arm for improving its mechanical performance with a reduction in weight. The optimization procedure was conducted in ANSYS Workbench with several load conditions to analyze the distribution of stress, deformation, and strain behavior. Total deformation, maximum principal stress, and equivalent elastic strain were solved to determine the critical areas and optimize the material distribution. The optimization procedure was justified by comparing the work of Wang et al. (2021) [1], which showed a comparable process for optimizing an upper control arm in a double wishbone suspension system. The outcome of the study is that the optimized model has substantial weight reduction without sacrificing structural integrity. The arm with the optimized design has a maximum principal stress of 300.87 MPa, maximum equivalent stress of 384.03 MPa, and a total deformation of 0.044169 mm, thus assuring its use in actual operating conditions. The moment X component was also computed to ensure structural stability. The research effectively discovers an optimal design with enhanced strength-to-weight ratio through candidate point analysis and direct optimization. The research advances the efforts to create high-performance and lightweight automotive suspension parts. Material variations and experimental verification will be studied in future research to make the proposed optimization method more applicable..