Fatigue Life Resolution of the Steering Wheel Tie Rod of a LCV with FEA

In this study, an accelerated test track construction necessary during research and development phase of Light Commercial vehicles (LCV) is described. By the questionnaire method, the Turkish customer automotive usages are defined. This paper focuses on defining load spectrum affected by steering wheel tie rod axial force derived during maneuvers. Finite Element Analyses (FEA) is used for fatigue analysis and it is verified by the Palmgren-Miner rule. As a result, lifetime of the part is calculated. An accelerated test tracks is designed for reliability and fatigue tests of the related company and linear FEA of the steering wheel tie rod represents a convenient procedure.