Smart Design: Application of an Automatic New Methodology for the Energy Assessment and Redesign of Hybrid Electric Vehicle Mechanical Components

This work aimed to develop an automatic new methodology based on establishing if a mechanical component, designed for a conventional propulsion system, is also suitable for hybrid electric propulsion. Change in propulsion system leads to different power delivery and vehicle dynamics, which will be reflected in different load conditions acting on the mechanical components. It has been shown that a workflow based on numerical simulations and experimental tests represents a valid approach for the evaluation of the cumulative fatigue damage of a mechanical component. In this work, the front half-shaft of a road car was analyzed. Starting from the acquisition of a speed profile and the definition of a reference vehicle, in terms of geometry and transmission, a numerical model, based on longitudinal vehicle dynamics, was developed for both conventional and hybrid electric transmission. After the validation of the model, the cumulative fatigue damage of the front half-shaft was evaluated. The new design methodology is agile and light; it has been dubbed “Smart Design”. The results show that changing propulsion led to greater fatigue damage, reducing the fatigue life component by 90%. Hence, it is necessary to redesign the mechanical component to make it also suitable for hybrid electric propulsion.