ANSYS > Case Studies > Optimizing Component Weight in Automotive Industry: A Case Study of Dana Corporation

Optimizing Component Weight in Automotive Industry: A Case Study of Dana Corporation

Technology Category

Robots - Autonomous Guided Vehicles (AGV)

Applicable Industries

Automotive
Specialty Vehicles

Applicable Functions

Product Research & Development
Quality Assurance

Use Cases

Vehicle Performance Monitoring
Visual Quality Detection

Services

Hardware Design & Engineering Services
Testing & Certification

About The Customer

Dana Corporation, headquartered in Toledo, Ohio, is a leading supplier of parts and assemblies to the automotive industry. The company designs and manufactures a wide range of products for every major vehicle producer in the world and has twice received the Malcolm Baldridge National Quality Award. Dana is focused on being an essential partner to automotive, commercial, and off-highway vehicle companies, which collectively produce more than 60 million vehicles annually. Dana’s Commercial Vehicle Systems Group specializes in the development of front-steer, rear-drive, trailer and auxiliary axles; driveshafts; steering shafts; suspensions; and related systems, modules, and services for the world’s commercial vehicle market.

The Challenge

Dana Corporation, a leading supplier of parts and assemblies to the automotive industry, faced a significant challenge in designing suspension systems and other assemblies for heavy trucks. The task was formidable due to the heavy loads, harsh environments, and long life requirements of these components. Historically, these components were over-designed and heavier to meet reliability requirements. However, in the current economy, the weight of commercial trucks and its impact on vehicle cost, ride, and fuel economy became a significant concern for both truck manufacturers and end users. The challenge was to design these parts with minimal material yet still maintain adequate strength and stiffness. This had to be achieved while meeting tight budgets and product launch schedules that ruled out building and testing numerous hardware prototypes.

The Solution

Dana Corporation's Commercial Vehicle engineers used topology optimization features of ANSYS Mechanical software to optimize component weight as part of the product design process. The method began by determining loads from multibody simulation. Then an initial rough solid model was constructed to fill the maximum available space envelope allowed for the component. Next, a finite-element mesh was developed and the ANSYS topology optimization routine automatically eliminated elements with stiffness below a specified threshold. The result was an analysis model consisting only of elements needed to maintain the required stiffness of the component with minimal material. This topology-optimized model was then overlaid on the solid model to guide engineers in completing the detailed design of the weight-optimized part.

Operational Impact

The optimization approach used by Dana Corporation has been highly successful and is now standardized as a best practice in the group. It is now readily applied to optimize the weight of most of Dana’s commercial truck components. The optimization guided the design in a direction that was not intuitively obvious and provided engineers with a greater understanding of component behavior and stiffness transfer paths. This has not only led to weight reduction but also improved the overall design process, making it more efficient and cost-effective.

Quantitative Benefit

Engineers reduced part weight by 25% while maintaining required stiffness and strength.
The process was completed in less than a day, compared to weeks otherwise needed for trial-and-error iterations on expensive physical prototypes.