Design, Optimization and Manufacturing of an Aluminium Wheel Rim for an Urban Vehicle

This paper describes the design of a new aluminum alloy rim for the JUNO Urban Concept Vehicle (Fig. 1), designed to race the Shell Eco-marathon (SEM) from 2019 (SEM 2019), a low consumption competition, where the mass reduction is an important goal. The study started from the vehicle dynamics multibody model, evaluating constraints (tyre, bearing, hub, etc.) and load case relative to the track. A finite element topological optimization of the rim was required to maximize stiffness and reduce the component mass. In fact, the design of the aluminum alloy rim must present characteristics of low mass and inertia, ensuring the structural strength required both in terms of stress and in terms of stiffness.