ANÁLISE ESTRUTURAL NÃO LINEAR ESTÁTICA DE UM PROTÓTIPO BAJA SAE PELO M.E.F.

Abstract

The baja SAE university program is an opportunity for students from different undergraduate courses, in a multidisciplinary proposal, to understand the technical and managerial aspects of the design, manufacture and assembly of a “mini baja” prototype, a single-seat off-road vehicle. Among the various components associated with the designed vehicle, the roll cage includes the base structure for the others, developed from a project flowchart based on the analysis of the "cockpit" set, in which the pilot is boarded, and the rear, in terms of stiffness to modes of interest, mechanical strength and durability, and vibration response. The present work presents a methodology of static structural analysis by the finite element method for the structure of a baja SAE prototype, from the consideration of the nonlinearities referring to the material, resulting from the hardening of the steel, and to the geometry, resulting from the large deformation. Its main objective is to promote discussion and joint learning within the area of structural analysis of mechanical systems, introducing students to fundamentals and relevant issues in the area. Contemplating the different stages of structural analysis, the work also proposes a discussion about the boundary conditions to be used, an agenda directly related to the complexity of the analyzed model, in addition to the geometric discretization mechanisms, in view of the formulations of solid finite elements and shell, and discussion about the general nonlinearities inherent to the different structural models.