Additively Manufactured Wheel Suspension System with Integrated Conductions and Optimized Structure

Increasing urbanisation and the growing environmental awareness in society require new and innovative vehicle concepts. In the present work, the design freedoms of additive manufacturing (AM) are used to develop a front axle wheel suspension for a novel modular vehicle concept. The development of the suspension components is based on a new method using industry standard load cases for the strength design of the components. To design the chassis components, first the available installation space is determined and a suitable configuration of the chassis components is defined. Furthermore, numerical methods are used to identify component geometries that are suitable for the force flow. The optimisation setup is selected in a way that allows to integrate information, energy and material-carrying conductors into the suspension arms. The conductors even serve as load-bearing structures because of the matching design of the components. High-strength light metals are used to minimise the component masses. Apertures are provided through the components for the routing of electrical conductors. The transport of fluids is realised by lines integrated into the wishbones. The final geometries of the suspension components are then validated by a finite element analysis (FEA) of the overall suspension model. The result of the applied method is lightweight suspension components with a high degree of functional integration. This improves the vehicle package and achieves higher front wheel clearance, increasing the possible steering angles and thus improving manoeuvrability. The saving of unsprung mass can improve handling and has a positive effect on the vehicle's energy consumption. Furthermore, the sectional line integration is followed by a simplified assembly of the front axle suspension.