Structural strength for front drive axle housing of heavy-duty forklift

GONG Zhi-cai1, HE Liu-yang1, FU Hui-peng1, CHEN Chao1, XIANG Shu-feng1, WANG Yu-kun1, ZHOU Hang2, LIN Hai-bo2, LI Ning2, NING Xiao-bin2
(1.HANGCHA Group Co., Ltd, Hangzhou 310032, China; 2.School of Mechanical Engineering,
Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou 310032, China)

Abstract: In order to realize the localization of the front drive axle housing of the heavy-duty forklift, the structural strength of the front drive axle housing of the heavy-duty forklift was analyzed, and a method of combining multibody dynamics and finite element was proposed. Firstly, the multi-body dynamic model of the heavy-duty forklift was established, the dynamic load of the front drive axle housing of forklift was analyzed under typical working conditions such as the forklift full load rapid lifting condition, the forklift emergency braking condition, the forklift over bump block condition, etc. And the maximum load of the front drive axle housing was determined under various typical working conditions. Secondly, the finite element model of the front drive axle housing of the forklift was established, and the stress and strain of the front drive axle housing under the maximum load of various typical working conditions were analyzed. At last, stress strain tester was adopted to measure the stress and strain of the front drive axle housing. The results indicate that the finite element calculation value and test value were basically the same, the localized design of the front axle housing of the heavy-duty forklift can meet the demand for high-strength and high-load drive axle housing during heavy-duty forklift operations and can replace imported products.
Key words: heavy-duty forklift; front drive axle; axle housing structural strength; dynamic load