Abstract:

A typical HGV Class 1 and HGV Class 2 vehicle wheel is attached using multiple nuts on a specified nut PCD, in order to speed up wheel installation on an automotive production line, a modular, quick change wheel nut fixing system is proposed for the controlled synchronised tightening of up to ten nuts. This project aims to develop and evaluate such a system using commercially available computer aided design and computer aided analysis software, explicitly, SOLIDWORKS® and SOLIDWORKS ® Simulation from Dassault Systemes. A combination of literature review, and the creation, modification, analysis and optimization of 3D CAD geometry will be used. Conclusions to date suggest similar small-scale devices to the one proposed are available, that a standardized range of nut size, nut quantity and nut PCD is used in the European served area, and that robotic wheel nut installation is standard practice on a modern vehicle production line. Future work could assess how the present proposed system could be integrated with existing robotic schemes, and how multiple nut groups could be stacked, organised and supplied to the present proposed system for operational efficiency and productivity.