Introduction

The Dutch Company “BBK Partners bv” and Femto Engineering cooperated in creating a new hybrid Carbon Wheel design for the company “Geric”. Geric is a Dutch company manufacturing top quality carbon fibre wheels for high-performance and luxury cars.

The assignment

The carbon wheels design benefit from thorough development and stringent testing. The wheels contain patented solutions greatly aiding strengths and durability. The lightweight Geric carbon wheels enhance performance, improve handling, driving comfort and provide significant energy savings because of the reduced unsprung weight and gyroscopic energy. For Geric’s carbon-fibre wheel series, Femto performed a number of FEM analyses to make sure this design would be able to withstand extreme conditions of street and track use when fitted to a 200+mph racing car.

Our approach

The analyses included extreme breaking, cornering, temperature loading and high speed revolutions. A tire was included in the model for a more realistic load transfer from the road contact patch to the rim. Particularly the interface between the aluminium spokes and composite rim was optimized.

Results

When the carbon wheel design was presented at the SEMA show in Las Vegas there was overwhelming response. Currently new load cases have been performed to check a new type of aluminium rim on strength and performance compared to the carbon fibre wheel. The research on creating the perfect wheel is continuing.

Software tools

Depending on the challenge at hand we employ a variety of simulation tools: i.a. Simcenter 3D, Femap/NX Nastran. We can advise you on the right tools for your challenges. Our engineers can also help optimize structures and product performance on a project basis. If you are interested in our simulation services, get in touch!

Contact us!