Global optimization of length and macro–micro transition of fabric-reinforced elastomers with application to a brake hose

Brake hoses are one of the most safety relevant parts in a motor vehicle. They conduct the information of a breaking event from the brake pedal to the breaking devices at the wheels by oil pressure. At the same time, the brake hose is very flexible in bending behaviour to follow the wheels movement depending on the steering and on the spring systems. m of the contribution is a numerical simulation at two different levels of observation. On the global level, the main task is to find an optimal length of the hose within a design space given by the specifications of the customer. All given configurations have to be fulfilled by a hose with fixed length L∗ without violating the given restrictions, e.g. from heat emitting parts beside the engine. For that task, a software tool is developed to optimize the length of a brake hose given by different spatial configurations. local scale, the cross section of a hose is investigated by the FE-method in order to find stress concentrations depending on the actual bending state. While the elastomeric tubes can be described by a hyperelastic material behaviour, the fabric layer is modeled by linear elastic orthotropic material.