Strength analysis of an aluminium-alloy component of circular geometry developed by cold forming and friction welding method

Abstract

To meet the requirements of modern manufacturing of automotive components of near net shape and high strength to weight ratio at lower cost, a 6061Aluminium-alloy bicycle hub (rear) was produced by a newly proposed method combining cold forming and friction welding processes. As the process involved joining of two cold formed halves by friction welding to get the final component (rear bicycle hub), knowledge of the stress distribution over the component under the simulated loading conditions was felt very important to examine its strength. The finite element method, used for the analysis of the component using ANSYS Code, revealed that in the middle portion of the hub-stem (friction welded zone), the stress magnitude is of very low order. The maximum value of stress observed at the junction points of flange and spokes, is within the allowable stress of the material. Thus the structural integrity of the component during use is established.