Analysis of Trailing Arm for Weight Optimization using FEA

An auto rickshaw is a three wheeled motor vehicle with one front steering wheel. Auto rickshaws are most commonly found in developing countries as they are a very cheap form of transportation due to low price, low maintenance cost, and low operation costs. Trailing arm mechanical system that is usually used because the rear suspension in three wheeler car rickshaws offers a straight forward configuration. Trailing arm is important component of suspension system as the suspensions control the movement of the wheels and thus keeping the vehicle on the road. Finite Element Analysis (FEA) is the most powerful technique for strength calculations of the structures working under known load and boundary conditions. FEA approach is applied for the optimization.3D model of a trailing arm is drawn in CATIA V5R20, and ANSYS is be used for numerical solutions. Finally ANSYS results are validated through experimental results. Overall 8 % weight reduction is achieved keeping system safe.