International Journal of Current Engineering and Technology E-ISSN 2277 – 4106, P-ISSN 2347 – 5161

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Research Article

Design, Optimization and Manufacturing of Wheel Assembly System of

Formula Society of Automotive Engineers (FSAE) Car
Atharv Dalvi*, Darshan Khaniya, Saqlain Ali, Umesh Tendulkar and Ajay Kashikar

Lokmanya Tilak College of Engineering. Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

Received 24 Jan 2020, Accepted 25 March 2020, Available online 29 March 2020, Vol.10, No.2 (March/April 2020)

Abstract

A wheel assembly system joins the chassis and the wheels through the suspension system. Any failure in the Wheel
assembly is catastrophic to human life, which is why it is vital to develop a safe design. The primary purpose of this
project was to design, optimize, and manufacture the wheel assembly system, focused primarily on improving the
previous design and reducing the un-sprung weight of the vehicle. The design was to be analyzed and implemented,
taking into consideration the various forces acting on the entire wheel assembly system under different conditions
such as braking, acceleration, and cornering. Designing and optimization were carried out by using SolidWorks. This
paper illustrates in its entirety all the processes, including design, optimization, and manufacturing undertaken by us.

Keywords: Uprights, Clevis, Hub, Formula SAE, Wheel Assembly, Un-sprung, Brake caliper

1. Introduction upright assembly will increase the overall weight of the

race car. So, for this season, it was decided to use live
1 Theprimary goal while building a race car is to achieve spindle assembly to reduce the components. The goal
the best performance to weight ratio. The reduction of of a lighter upright assembly is achieved by less
weight in any area will lead to an overall increase in sophisticated design and proper material selection.
the performance of the car. From Newtonian Physics, Also, proper stiffness and reliability can be attained by
we know force = mass*acceleration, thus by reducing accurate analysis of the design of the upright assembly.
mass, with a given amount of force capable of being Some of the advantages of live spindle are given below:
exerted from the vehicle, acceleration can be
maximized. Also, in order to exploit the finite amount  Wheel assembly gets stiffer, so there is no camber
of available grip and achieve the primary aim of change.
maximum acceleration from the tire it is essential to  Easy installation
reduce the vehicle weight. In conclusion, weight is  Weight reduction
inevitably a key constraint in designing any component  Modularity: Breaking of the system in smaller
in the race-car. The two types of weight in an parts
automobile are sprung and un-sprung weights. Sprung  The brake disc is in the inboard side of upright
mass can be defined as the mass of the vehicle that is which reduces space between the uprights and
damped by the spring. As the spring does not damp the wheel center hence reducing bending load.
wheel assembly mass, it comes under the un-sprung  CV housing is completely inside the uprights,
mass category. Essentially un-sprung mass is the mass which reduces space between the uprights which
that is not supported by the shock-absorbers like the in turn reduces driveshaft angle.
hub, wheel and uprights. It is crucial to reduce un-  Compact component packing
sprung mass in order to increase acceleration. The  Higher stiffness to system mass which results in
higher the un-sprung mass, slower the acceleration. fewer vibrations.
The goal is to produce a lighter and performance-
oriented design of upright assembly in comparison The objectives of the project are as follows:
with that of season 2016-2017 car and thereby
contributing to making the car of season 2018-2019 1) Lightweight to maintain excellent performance to
better than its predecessor. Use of a conventional weight ratio of the race car.
2) Optimum stiffness to ensure the reliability of upright
*Corresponding author Atharv Dalvi, Darshan Khaniya, Saqlain
Ali, Umesh Tendulkar are students and Ajay Kashikar is working assembly and to maintain designed geometry of
as Assistant Professor; DOI: https://doi.org/10.14741/ijcet/v.10.2.5 suspension system.
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Atharv Dalvi et al Design, Optimization and Manufacturing of Wheel Assembly System of Formula Society of Automotive Engineers (FSAE) Car

3) Ease of maintenance for enhancing serviceability acceleration. Thus a brittle material is not suitable for
and setup repeatability. this application. Consequently, it was decided to take a
tensile material called Aluminium-6061 T6. It has a
The front upright connects the steering arm, which high strength to weight ratio. Thus with a much lower
allows the driver to change the direction of the vehicle. weight, one could produce sturdy uprights.
There lies a bearing between the hub and the upright The Endurance limit of this material is much more
which allows the upright to be stationary relative to than that of other aluminum series. The material
the chassis. The hub rotates with the wheel by the properties are as follows:
power transmitted from the transmission assembly.
Typically, the hub and the bearing is press-fitted inside  Syt = 276MPa
the upright. In addition, the caliper is also supported by  Endurance Limit =96.5MPa
the upright. Any failure in the wheel assembly can  Density = 2700 kg/m3
result in severe consequences for the driver. Thus, the
wheel assembly system must be designed and analyzed First, the caster angle was selected. It was decided to
carefully. have a 7-degree caster angle. Then, the proper length
of the upright was selected, so the suspension points lie
2. Methodology within it. Subsequently, the central boring size was
decided which is dependent on the bearing outside
 In the research phase, we first understood basic diameter as bearing has to be press-fit inside that bore.
parameters like camber, caster, kingpin inclination The boring thickness depends on bearing thickness,
and toe angle. and a step was provided inside to restrict the
 Designs of various other teams and the various movement of the bearing. Two bearings have been
values used by them were evaluated. press-fitted on the opposite side of the step. Internal
 At the same time we began learning softwares such circlips have been added to prevent movement of the
as Solidworks and Ansys which helped us complete bearings in the axial direction. Next caliper position
the design phase with ease. was mounted according to the dimensions received
 The design phase was completed along with some from the brakes department. Then the steering point
calculations which would help us keep the overall was mounted according to points given by the steering
stresses low. These calculations included various department. Proper fillet and weight reduction were
load transfers in dynamic conditions keeping in given.
mind various FSAE rules.
 All of the design was later completed on
Solidworks and the simulations were done.
 During the manufacturing phase, various materials
were taken into consideration along with the
market survey for availability and cost of the
materials.
 Taking all of these factors into consideration a
suitable material was chosen.
 Once the design was completed, then we studied
the various manufacturing process available and
other components such as nut, bolts, bearings and
other essential items.
 Upright, hub and brackets were manufactured with
Fig 01 – Front Upright in SolidWorks
the help of CNC turning, VMC and WATER JET
machining to get the necessary accuracy.

3. Design and Analysis

3.1 Upright Design

Upright is an integral part of the wheel assembly which

is press-fitted on the hub and on which the A-arms are
mounted. Besides, the upright also serves the function
of providing mounting to the brake caliper. The
Steering Arm which connects the wheel assembly and
the tie rod is also mounted on the upright. Thus due to
all these mountings, many forces act on the upright.
Upright is also subjected to completely reversed types
of stresses while turning and also during braking and Fig 02 – Rear Upright in SolidWorks
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Atharv Dalvi et al Design, Optimization and Manufacturing of Wheel Assembly System of Formula Society of Automotive Engineers (FSAE) Car

3.2 Clevis (Camber shims) insertion of the tripod. Subsequently, slotting is done
according to the tripod spline in the hub. Also, proper
Clevis is the part which joins the upright to the A-Arms fillet was put in to avoid stress concentration.
and is also useful to vary the camber angle. These were
manufactured from the same material as the upright
that is Aluminium-6061 T6 due to its various
advantages as mentioned above.

Fig 04 – Rear Hub in SolidWorks

Fig 03 – Clevis in SolidWorks

3.3 – Hub Design

Hub is that part of the wheel assembly on which the

wheel and brake disk are mounted. Both the wheel as
well as the disk is mounted on the hub with the help of
bolts. As discussed earlier, the outer race of the bearing
is press fitted inside the hub, so provision is made in it
to enclose the bearing. The hub itself is made of two
petal parts- one of the wheel and the other of the brake
disk. Since it was decided to design a live spindle;
hence the length of the hub for the rear was also
dependent upon the CV joint.

The four primary forces acting on the hub are: Fig 05 - Front Hub in SolidWorks
1) Force due to acceleration or deceleration 3.4 Bearing Calculations
2) Cornering
3) Wheel travel or bump In order to ensure free rotation of the hub, it was
4) Brake torque or torque from the axles necessary to select an appropriate bearing by
conducting the necessary research. Thus it was decided
The design of the hub was bounded by various to use deep groove ball bearings between the upright
conditions such as track width, bearing size, rotor and the hub due to the following reasons:
dimensions, and the bolt pattern on the wheel. First,
the boss diameter of the rim was measured which was
found to be 63.5 mm. So, in order to avoid wobbling,  They can carry radial and axial loads.
the hub boss diameter was taken as 63.5 mm. Then  They create less friction torque which lowers
according to the PCD and stud diameter of the rim, the operating temperature and extends the life of the
first flange of the hub was drawn which attaches to the bearing.
rim from inside.  Because of their simple design, low operating
For weight reduction purpose, petal-type shape was temperature, and low friction, deep groove ball
decided for the flange. Later for disc mounting, the float bearings have a longer expected shelf life than
for floating disc was designed having PCD 100 mm and other bearings. They do not require additional
according to floater button design and disc design, the lubrication after installation, which also means less
second flange of the hub was made. Also, it was maintenance downtime.
essential to keep the disc in the centre of the 2 pads of
calliper, so accordingly a step was made. Furthermore, Given ahead are the calculations for bearings and the
the last step of 40 mm diameter, which is according to forces acting on them.
bearing inner race for bearing mounting on the hub
was made. Then hole from bearing side was made for Forces Acting on Bearings in Upright
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Rear Bearing Calculations

Checking if the selected bearings are safe or not:

P = 4000N = 4kN
L = 1000 hrs
N = 408 rpm
{Engine Power=2πNT/60000
For KTM 390, Max power = 43 HP at 9000rpm
Therefore,
32 = 2*π*(N)*750/60000
N=408r rpm}
Step 1: Life in mR
Life in mR = Lh*60*N/10^6
=1000*60*408/10^
=24.5mR

Step 2: Selecting and checking bearing from standard

All dimensions in mm catalogue

Fig 06 - F.B.D. of rear bearings For SKF bearing 61910-2RS

Forces acting due to uniform varying load Outer diameter =72mm

=05*(250*9.81) *(141.07-37)/141.07 Inner diameter =50mm
=904.62…. (I) Dynamic capacity=14.5kN
Also Checking for capacity
R1 + R2 + 2538=904.62 C=(Life mR)^1/k*P
R1 + R2= -1633.38… (II) {k=3 for DGBB}
R1=-9192.39 N = (24.5)^1/3* 4000
R2=7569.01 N = 11.53kN
C = 11.53 kN < 14.5kN
Front Bearing Calculations
Therefore, Bearing is safe as design dynamic capacity
on the bearing is less than the available max dynamic
capacity of the bearing.

For SKF bearing 61814-2RS

Outer diameter =90mm

Inner diameter =70mm
Dynamic capacity=12.5kN
Checking for capacity
C=(Life mR)^1/k*P
{k=3 for DGBB}
= (24.5)^1/3* 4000
= 11.53kN
All dimensions in mm C = 11.53 kN < 12.5kN

Fig 07 - F.B.D. of front bearings Therefore, Bearing is safe as design dynamic capacity
on the bearing is less than the available max dynamic
capacity of the bearing.
R1 + R2 + 2538=265.62
R1 + R2 = -2272.38N…. (I)
3.5 Upright Analysis
Also
3.5.1 Longitudinal
88.82*R1 + 103.8*R2 = -2538*6.73+265.62*34.6
R1=-15201 N Forces during Braking
R2=1292.5 N
While braking, the weight of the rear side tends to
Based on above calculations bearing numbers (61910- transfer to the front side of the vehicle so there is a
2RS) for front and (61814-2RS) for rear were selected. load transfer that is taking place from the rear to the
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front. It in turn affects the upright as these forces act

on the A-arm mounting points through the A-arms.
Considering Maximum acceleration of 1g = 9.81 m/s2
Force at the front side = mass at the rear side of the
vehicle × acceleration
Let the mass at the rear side of the vehicle be 0.61
times the total weight
Mass at the rear side of the vehicle=0.6 × 250 =150 kg
Force = 150 × 9.81
Force = 1471.5 N
Now force on 1 wheel =1471.5/2 =735.75 N
Thus Longitudinal Force =735.75 N
3.5.2 Lateral Forces
Fig 09 - Displacement Analysis of front upright
Lateral forces are because of two reasons – centrifugal
force and lateral load transfer from outside to inside
while turning. The centrifugal force is considered as
follows:

Let the vehicle take a turn of 4.5m turning radius and

at a speed of 30kmph
r = turning radius =4.5m
v= 30kmph = =8.3333 m/s
Centrifugal Force =1503.42N
Now consider if all the weigh at the front side comes on
the wheel assembly the force will be Force due to
lateral load transfer =0.39 × 250 × 9.81 =956.4765
Thus Lateral Force = 956.4765 N

3.5.2 Force on the Steering Arm Fig 10 Factor of safety of front upright
According to the steering effort, the force on steering
arm was found out to be 689N
Force on steering arm = 689 N

3.5.3 SolidWorks analysis of uprights

From Lotus software, the magnitude and directions of

the forces on the upper ball joint and lower ball joint
were obtained. Accordingly, the forces were applied to
get the satisfactory factory of safety. Redundant weight
was removed in order to reduce the overall weight of
the car which helped in increasing acceleration timing.
Various material like Aluminum 6 series and 7 series
were analyzed and have selected the one which had
given us optimized results even after machining. The
analysis of the front and rear uprights using
SolidWorks software is given in the figures below. Fig 11 Stress analysis of rear upright

Fig 08 - Stress analysis of front upright Fig 12 Displacement Analysis of rear upright
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Fig 13 - Factor of safety of rear upright

Fig 14 - Stress Analysis of front hub(braking torque
3.6 Hub Analysis applied)

3.6.1 Determining the forces acting on the Front Hub: -

The following Forces are acting on the Hub.

a. Torque on the Brake Disk Petal: - 350 Nm

A torque of 350 Nm is acting on the Brake Disk Petal.
The Force acting on each hole = 350 ⁄ (4 x 0.04) =
2812.5 N

Thus force acting on each hole of front hub due to

brake disc = 2812.5 N

b. Torque on the Wheel Petal

Fig 15 Displacement analysis of front hub
(braking torque applied)
In order to sustain this braking effect the wheel must
also provide and equal and opposite torque. Thus the
magnitude of torque is same but the direction is
opposite.
The Force acting on each hole = 350 ⁄ (4 x 0.05) = 1750
N
Thus force acting on each hole of front hub due to
wheel = 1750 N

3.6.2 Determining the forces acting on the Rear Hub

The following Forces are acting on the Hub.

a. Torque on the Rear Brake Disk Petal is taken as that Fig 16 Factor of safety of front hub (braking torque
of front: - 350 Nm applied)
A torque of 350 Nm is acting on the Brake Disk Petal.
The Force acting on each hole = 350 ⁄ (6 x 0.05) =
1166.667 N
Thus force acting on each hole of rear hub due to brake
disc = 1166.667 N

b. Torque on the Wheel Petal

In order to sustain this braking effect, the wheel must

also provide and equal and opposite torque. Thus the
magnitude of torque is same but the direction is
opposite.
The force acting on each hole = 350 ⁄(4 x 0.05) = 1750
N
Thus force acting on each hole of rear hub due to wheel Fig 17 Stress Analysis of front hub (applying ground
= 1750 N reactions)
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3.7 Manufacturing of Wheel Assembly

After the analysis of the wheel assembly, it was time to

manufacture it. Since the parts were too intricate, it
was decided to manufacture it using computer numeric
control (CNC). Because of the feasibility that CNC
machines give, to design of the components were
possible without any restrictions. As mention earlier
selected aluminium T6 6061 was selected for both
upright and hub. So the block of aluminium was
purchased having size a little larger than the original
component. Then each was machined on the vertical
Fig 18 Displacement Analysis of front Hub (applying machining centre (VMC) having an excellent finishing.
ground reactions) For the hub, first, it was machined on a lathe to give the
profile so it would be easily machined on the VMC and
would save time. Clevis was also made on VMC, and it
was a two setting job which had taken up to 4 hours
each.
Before machining, careful consideration of
manufacturing details had to be taken into account in
order to keep the number of machine setups to a
minimum and to make the manufacturing process
more straightforward. All sharp internal corners were
eliminated and were modelled with a 5mm radius to
allow for a mill to be used. Attempting to cut the deep
pockets with anything smaller could result in chatter
or broken tools. All bearing bores were modeled at
Fig 19 Stress Analysis of rear Hub (applying ground standard dimensions, so there would be no confusion
reactions and braking torque) when machinist was making the part. These
dimensions must be double-checked before
manufacturing so as not to make the part obsolete.
Tool clearance was considered for operations such as
using a wheel cutter for brake caliper slots. This
required modelling of the wheel cutter and cut path to
ensure that this operation would be possible given the
conditions of the part. It would also be possible to use
an end mill to cut these slots as well. Bearing lock or a
step was given in the upright and on the hub which
was used to retain the bearing in their proper axial
position. It will also restrict it from coming out of its
place when running. So, the bearing diameter was kept
according to boring diameter of upright which was
50mm for the front and 90mm at the rear and with
proper tolerance for easy mounting and dismounting. 4
holes having PCD of 100 mm were put up for wire
Fig 20 Displacement Analysis of rear Hub (applying
locking the bolts on the hub cap.
ground reactions and braking torque)

Fig 21 - Factor of safety of rear Hub (applying ground Fig 22 Front Wheel assembly in SolidWorks (including
reactions and braking torque) rims and caliper)
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Atharv Dalvi et al Design, Optimization and Manufacturing of Wheel Assembly System of Formula Society of Automotive Engineers (FSAE) Car

Fig 23 Front Wheel assembly in SolidWorks

Fig 27 Finished rear upright

3.8 Floater or Bobbin

Being a floating design, a floater or bobbin needs to be

made for the installation of the brake disc. The floater
minimizes rattling noise and lets the brake disc stay in
place while allowing it to expand when its temperature
rises for the floater. By comparing all the parameters,
mild steel and aluminum were selected for floater
button as per design considerations and also the
budget concern. They were manufactured by using CNC
lathe.
Fig 24 Rear Wheel assembly in SolidWorks

Fig 28 Floater or bobbin

Fig 25Machining of upright on a VMC machine

Fig 29 Analysis of floater or bobbin

3.9 Tripod Sleeve

In the hub, the tripod bearing would have caused a lot

of wear due to friction. Hence a sleeve was made by
Fig 26Finished front upright using wire cutting machinery. This sleeve was fitted
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Atharv Dalvi et al Design, Optimization and Manufacturing of Wheel Assembly System of Formula Society of Automotive Engineers (FSAE) Car

into the recces given for tripod bearing and is of 1 mm

thickness and made up of steel. This sleeve was
machined by wire cutting process.

Fig 33 Actual front assembly

Conclusion and result

Fig 30 Tripod Sleeve in SolidWorks
Finally after the design, analysis, manufacturing and
3.10 Hub cap validation phase it is time to put the result in the table
in order to compare it with previous design shown in
In order to keep the upright confined on the hub its the table below. The assembly was much lighter in
motion was restricted by a step on one side and by cap weight and was able to sustain the forces while
on the other. The cap was manufactured to be screwed accelerating, cornering and braking when tested for
at the end of the hub. This was made from commercial 250kms, meeting the design expectations. On
Aluminum which is locally available. This was validating the results are satisfactory.
machined on the lathe machine along with threading.
Table 1

SR38 (2016-17)
Weight Weight
(grams) (grams)
Front 523.09 Rear Upright 463.35
Hub
Front 715.14 Rear Toe Link 46.13
Upright Arm
Front 291.41 Rear LBJ Clevis 85.62
Clevis
Spindle 327 Rear UBJ Clevis 111.06

Rear Hub 500

Fig 31 Hub Cap in SolidWorks Total Rear Wheel Assembly Weight = 1.45 kg
Total Front Wheel Assembly Weight = 1.856 kg
4. Final assembly Overall weight = 3.306 kg

After completing the individual manufacturing, it was

now time for final assembly. The pictures are shown Table 2
below.
Current Car
Weight Weight
(grams) (grams)
Front Hub 621 Clevis 36
Front Upright 430 Cap 122
Rear Hub 800 Tripod 80
Sleeve
Front Upright 435

Total Rear Wheel Assembly Weight = 1.315 kg

Total Front Wheel Assembly Weight = 1.1 kg
Overall weight = 2.415 kg

References

Atharv Dalvi, Darshan Khaniya, Mitesh Deshpande, Ankit

Doshi, Ajay Kashikar, Lokmanya Tilak College of
Fig 32 Actual rear assembly Engineering, Mechanical Department 5 – Assistant
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