Estimation of structural strength and fatigue life of a transmission housing under initial defect influence

The performance of the reducer housing has a direct impact on the overall vehicle performance. However, under long-term complex service conditions, the structure is prone to fatigue damage. Therefore, conducting fatigue durability analysis on the reducer housing using finite element software is of great significance in the design phase. During the production and manufacturing process, initial defects may be introduced. This paper employs the finite element analysis method to explore the impact of initial defects on the strength and fatigue life of the reducer housing structure. A finite element model of the reducer housing structure is established in ABAQUS, different defect forms are set, and S-N curves are used. The fatigue life analysis of the housing is conducted by adding points one by one, obtaining statistical results of fatigue life, and comparing them with the intact structure. The results indicate that initial defects reduce the structural strength level and expected life.