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Rear Suspension 

In Progress

The rear suspension of a vehicle refers to the system of components that support and control the movement of the rear wheels. A semi-trailing arm geometry is a type of rear suspension design in which each wheel is mounted on a trailing arm that is connected to the vehicle's chassis by a pivot point. This system includes a control arm and a lateral link to maintain the position and alignment of the wheels while allowing them to move independently of each other.

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The semi-trailing arm geometry provides a good balance between ride comfort and handling performance. It allows for a greater degree of wheel movement than other suspension designs, which helps to absorb bumps and provide a smoother ride. At the same time, the system maintains good stability and control, which helps to enhance the vehicle's handling and driving characteristics. This design is popular due to its versatility, durability, and performance capabilities, and has been used in a wide range of vehicles, from small passenger cars to larger commercial vehicles and trucks.

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Finite Element Analysis

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As with all our design, we aim for a FOS of at least 1.4. This FEA study shows a that the minimum FOS of the design is ~1.9 and the nominal FOS is ~14. These are great results. The design passes!!!

Version History

This design passed FEA, however, doesn't account for the brake caliper mount. This design neither has a rotor nor a mounting point for the caliper. 

This design is also really expensive to manufacture. The stock sizes required are high and the CNC manufacturing is complex. We had to redesign the parts to reduce the cost and accommodate the caliper.

This design accounts for the braking system, however the manufacturing is still an issue.

Also, we had to change the suspension geometry to ensure a smoother ride, we had to re-design the suspension to account for these dimension changes as well.

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The next step is to do a topology analysis to reduce the mass while maintaining a high FEA. 

Manufacturing

To be manufactured in Summer 2023

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