Stress-strain analysis of the tow hook of a commercial truck by numerical simulations

Numerical simulations have been widely used in the industry, although with some limitations. One of these limitations is the fact that the thermal effects derived from component manufacturing processes are normally disregarded in the analysis. Thus, the main goal of this study is to evaluate strains near the weld beads of a geometric model for a truck tow hook using numerical simulations by finite element method, considering thermal loads applied before the field loading. To validate the simulation results, an experiment was performed using a tow hook found in a commercial truck. Strain gauge rosettes were placed on the body base plate, and a load of 181.050 N was applied to the hook. This loading was the result of a commercial truck being pulled on level terrain, simulating a normal operation condition of the tow hook. The Von Mises stress found in simulations was approximately 302.23 MPa at the same position where the strain gauges were glued, when the load was applied. The difference between the simulated and experimental values of the equivalent specific strains in the area of the weld beads was 19.2%, and the difference between the permanent displacement values, resulting from plastic strain, in the X-direction was 0.1%. These results justify conducting new studies involving numerical simulations and considering thermal effects on static and dynamic loads in the automotive industry.