Fatigue behavior for design optimization of parking brake bracket connections

Abstract

The creation and implementation of brackets have become highly significant in the quality and safety of manufacturing parking brake cables. Moreover, the ability to establish fatigue loads and their effects on the brackets in the vehicle route is now highly important in the design and development process. It is thus crucial to develop an accurate numerical model using computer aided engineering to establish patterns of fatigue during bracket manufacturing. The purpose of this research is to identify the importance of computer aided engineering in bracket optimization, for example in parking brake cables. The key objective of the research is to establish the level of strain exerted on a bracket during oscillation (fatigue) resulting from suspension movement of vehicles. Furthermore, it intends to lower the vehicle's weight and cost by replacing metal brackets with plastic ones.