Penalty method applied to structural strength assessment of the axial ball joint

Abstract

In this paper, the application of the penalty method to solve 3D contact problem is presented. Standard procedures are used for the detection of contact and the application of displacement constraints. The friction forces are based on Coulomb’s law. The implemented model includes the linearization of virtual work which enables high robustness of finite element techniques. The presented method is used for the procedure of the structural strength and fatigue assessment of the spring seat in the axial ball joint. The Finite Element Method software is used to analyze the stress state under the prescribed extreme loading conditions. The target number of loading cycles is set to 100.000, and the producer prescribes the amplitude of compressive and tension loading forces. The material parameters are adopted according to literature, and the fatigue resistance is compared to the computed stress values. It is concluded that the observed axial ball joint satisfies the targeted structural and fatigue strength.