REDUCTION OF STRESS CONCENTRATION AT THE CORNER BENDS OF THE ANTI-ROLL BAR BY USING PARAMETRIC OPTIMISATION

Stress concentration at the corner bends of an anti-roll bar that is designed for an intercity passenger bus is reduced by optimising the shape of the critical regions. In order to do this, parameters which constitute the geometry of the stress concentrated regions are determined. The effect of these parameters on stress concentration is evaluated by using Design of Experiments (DoE) approach. Possible design options and their corresponding mass and maximum equivalent stress values are obtained by using finite element analysis. The results are assessed by means of response surfaces generated by FEA software. Transition form that gives optimum stress concentration is determined.