Suspension Control Arm Design Optimization

Suspension control arm designs produced by the original engineers and manufacturers can often be improved by optimization of design, materials and manufacturing processes. Reverse engineering of components with iterative stress testing and CAE can identify potential weaknesses. Consumer feedback on recently released vehicles identifies issues with OE control arms that can be corrected by expert design engineers manufacturing after market repair components.

Why are some OE control arms prone to failures?

When you consider the vast number of individual components that comprise a modern vehicle and think about the pressure to develop, refine and launch new models on the market rapidly and under the limitations of cost efficiencies, it is not surprising that some OE control arms or other components fail prematurely or in ways that the original engineers might not have considered when finalizing their designs.

It is especially difficult to plan ahead for the possible failure methods and circumstances that will affect suspension components that are designed for innovative vehicles that may have different performance and handling parameters to more traditional designs. The use of new and composite materials can reduce weight and improve suspension responsiveness, but can also introduce new problems with failure modes and durability.

Predicting component performance may be a common issue for EV manufacturers, who have to attempt to model the wear and stress that will affect suspension components with individual motor-driven wheels, differing weight distributions and power curves compared to the gasoline and diesel powered vehicles that have long been the standard for automotive engineering culture.

When a control arm for a specific vehicle is reported by after market suppliers, manufacturers, and consumers as having a higher than expected failure rate, the issue of brand reputation becomes significant, especially with safety related suspension components, where unexpected, sudden, failures can cause accidents involving other road users.

How do you correct control arm failures?

Before you can correct control arm failures you need to identify the exact cause and manner of failure. With some components this is easier than with others, you may find there is a poorly designed ball joint seal that is allowing water ingress and corrosion, for instance. Where the issue appears to be strength related, then modeling and physical testing will be required.

The process to correct failures with control arms usually involves reverse engineering of the original control arm and running computer simulations to analyse the stress loadings under different conditions. This takes place alongside laboratory destructive testing and material testing to identify possible modes of failure and to create a virtual model of how these can be mitigated. An optimized design can then be created that addresses these problems, this is prototyped and tested before being adopted as the new version.

What factors influence control arm design optimization?

The main factor that influences redesign and optimization is cost, which is strongly linked to the expertise, capabilities and facilities that are available to the design engineers. A vertically integrated OEM suspension component manufacturer with in-house design engineers, testing labs, CNC machining and stamping lines for control arm manufacturing has significant advantages in developing cost-effective solutions to control arm design optimization over a less well equipped, less experienced industry partner.

• Experienced design engineers
• Complete manufacturing capabilities for control arms
• Physical testing laboratory
• Sophisticated quality assessment systems & tools
• IATF certified processes
• Vertically integrated design, manufacturing & prototyping capabilities

When redesigning control arms for Tier 1 global brands, it is essential that the control arm manufacturer has state of the art quality control and assessment systems and tools, and that all processes conform to International Automotive Task Force (IATF) certification standards to ensure the resulting component can be approved for use without delays or concerns about quality and utility.

Suspension component optimization by SH Auto Parts

SH Auto Parts has the skills, technology and capabilities to optimize all kinds of suspension components. When we are working to correct an issue with an existing design, or improve an OE part, we use rigorous testing and computer modeling to establish the parameters for optimization. We then carry out iterative design modifications and testing until we find the optimum solution, which, in the case of control arms, might be to reduce weight, increase stiffness, and improve durability.

Contact us to discuss your needs for control arm and suspension component optimization. Our highly experienced design engineers are always ready for the task of identifying the most cost effective, efficient way to make improvements and upgrades. Our fully equipped Smart Factory, testing and quality control facilities will ensure rapid prototyping and turnaround to full production when we have finalized the design of a new suspension part with you.