Abstract
Recently, for the development of vehicle structures and components there is a tendency to increase using numerical simulation methods compared with practical tests for the estimation of the fatigue strength. In this study, an integrated powerful methodology is suggested for fatigue strength evaluation through development of the interface program to integrate dynamic analysis quasi-static stress analysis and fatigue analysis, which were so far used independently. To verify the presented evaluation method, a single and zigzag bump run test, 4-post road load simulation and driving durability test have been performed. The prediction results show a good agreement between analysis and test. This research indicates that the integrated life prediction methodology can be used as a reliable design tool in the pre-prototype and prototype development stage, to reduce the expense and time of design iteration.
