PSI - Issue 82

Available online at www.sciencedirect.com Available online at www.sciencedirect.com ScienceDirect Structural Integrity Procedia 00 (2026) 000–000 Available online at www.sciencedirect.com ScienceDirect Structural Integrity Procedia 00 (2026) 000–000

www.elsevier.com/locate/procedia www.elsevier.com/locate/procedia

ScienceDirect

Procedia Structural Integrity 82 (2026) 267–273

© 2026 The Authors. Published by ELSEVIER B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0) Peer-review under responsibility of ICSID organizers Abstract In this study, the effects of mass reduction of the front axle beam using different hole shapes on weight, stress, and failure behavior under various driving scenarios were investigated. Critical loading cases were identified from driving scenarios taken from the literature, and topology optimization was performed to identify potential weight reduction regions. Based on the optimization results, axle beam models with four different hole shapes were built. Among the models, the four-arc-hole model provided the optimal balance between weight reduction and stress, achieving an 8% reduction in axle beam mass. Furthermore, Finite Element Analysis showed that tensile stress occurred at the critical regions of the hole forms where maximum stress was observed. Therefore, fatigue life was examined using Goodman-Haigh diagrams. It was observed that all designs remained in the infinite life region and ensured safe operation under cyclic loads. © 2026 The Authors. Copy from the contract: Published by ELSEVIER B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0) Peer-review under responsibility of ICSID organizers Keywords: Front axle beam; Topology optimization; Weight reduction; Hole geometry; Goodman–Haigh diagram 1. Introduction Rigid front axles are commonly used especially for commercial vehicles and these components are of critical importance in terms of structural integrity (Reimpell et al., 2001). Non-driven front axles play a significant role in the integrity of the system by providing suspension linkage, in addition to their functions in steering and vehicle load transfer. The front axle ensures reliable transmission of driving and braking forces to the chassis. Road irregularities Abstract In this study, the effects of mass reduction of the front axle beam using different hole shapes on weight, stress, and failure behavior under various driving scenarios were investigated. Critical loading cases were identified from driving scenarios taken from the literature, and topology optimization was performed to identify potential weight reduction regions. Based on the optimization results, axle beam models with four different hole shapes were built. Among the models, the four-arc-hole model provided the optimal balance between weight reduction and stress, achieving an 8% reduction in axle beam mass. Furthermore, Finite Element Analysis showed that tensile stress occurred at the critical regions of the hole forms where maximum stress was observed. Therefore, fatigue life was examined using Goodman-Haigh diagrams. It was observed that all designs remained in the infinite life region and ensured safe operation under cyclic loads. © 2026 The Authors. Copy from the contract: Published by ELSEVIER B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0) Peer-review under responsibility of ICSID organizers Keywords: Front axle beam; Topology optimization; Weight reduction; Hole geometry; Goodman–Haigh diagram 1. Introduction Rigid front axles are commonly used especially for commercial vehicles and these components are of critical importance in terms of structural integrity (Reimpell et al., 2001). Non-driven front axles play a significant role in the integrity of the system by providing suspension linkage, in addition to their functions in steering and vehicle load transfer. The front axle ensures reliable transmission of driving and braking forces to the chassis. Road irregularities 8th International Conference on Structural Integrity and Durability (ICSID2025) Effects of mass reduction hole form on failure tendency and structural behaviour of a front axle beam Kübra Polat a, * , Mehmet Murat Topaç b a The Graduate School of Natural and Applied Sciences, Dokuz Eylül University, Izmir 35397, Türkiye b Department of Mechanical Engineering, Dokuz Eylül University, Faculty of Engineering, Izmir 35397, Türkiye 8th International Conference on Structural Integrity and Durability (ICSID2025) Effects of mass reduction hole form on failure tendency and structural behaviour of a front axle beam Kübra Polat a, * , Mehmet Murat Topaç b a The Graduate School of Natural and Applied Sciences, Dokuz Eylül University, Izmir 35397, Türkiye b Department of Mechanical Engineering, Dokuz Eylül University, Faculty of Engineering, Izmir 35397, Türkiye

* Corresponding author. Tel.: +90 232 301 9248 E-mail address: k.polat@ogr.deu.edu.tr * Corresponding author. Tel.: +90 232 301 9248 E-mail address: k.polat@ogr.deu.edu.tr

2452-3216 © 2026 The Authors. Copy from the contract: Published by ELSEVIER B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0) Peer-review under responsibility of ICSID organizers 2452-3216 © 2026 The Authors. Copy from the contract: Published by ELSEVIER B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0) Peer-review under responsibility of ICSID organizers

2452-3216 © 2026 The Authors. Published by ELSEVIER B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0) Peer-review under responsibility of ICSID organizers 10.1016/j.prostr.2026.04.041