Abstract
With the trend toward electrification, vehicle chassis designs are evolving. The number of vehicle variants (ICE, hybrid, BEV) for a like model are increasing and, in the case of BEVs, there are multiple models utilizing the same skateboard design. These vehicle variants can present challenges of how to handle the differences in weight and loading dynamics while utilizing the same or similar carry-over chassis designs. In some cases, this problem can be solved by increasing the shear capacity of the critical bolted connection. This can be done by increasing the static coefficient of friction between the mating components. This paper presents FEM results on the effects of 3M™ Friction Shims, a friction enhancement solution, on shear capacity of a weight[1]bearing connection in a vehicle chassis. The average increases in force withstood by the connection before slippage were as follows: 44% from increasing bolt size; 15% from moving to a higher material class; 395% from adding 3M™ Friction Shims. This shows that 3M™ Friction Shims can significantly increase the shear capacity of a bolted connection without requiring significant design changes. The solution is effective on common material types including aluminum and e-coated steel.
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