Design optimization of structural component (hitch bracket of tractor): A reverse engineering approach

Manufacturing industries, now-a-days, focus mostly on redesigning of the products for reducing cost and lead-time via detailed analysis of its composition and constructional design regarded as the Reverse Engineering (RE) process that involves the acquisition of relevant data of the original product, analysis for its functional use and finally, reproduction of the design for improving the functionality. In the present work, a new model based on optimization at different steps of RE, is proposed to redesign a structural component, which is subjected to severe tensile stress while in service. The component under study is an accessory namely, hitch bracket, attached to the rear axle of a tractor to connect it to the plough. The methodology includes building of a 3D Computer Aided Design (CAD) model from the scanned data of the existing component with the help of 3D scanner. Computer Aided Engineering (CAE) analysis is carried out on the CAD model with existing load conditions by Finite Element Analysis (FEA). Topological optimization is carried out giving rise to a modified/optimized design of the component. It is observed that the performance of the modified component improves significantly with simultaneous weight reduction without affecting its functional use and the manufacturing process setup.