Mustafa Burak Terzioğlu, Bülent Şirin, İsmail Şile

Within the scope of this study, the machining fixture design and optimization studies of a bus rear suspension arm made of spheroidal cast iron were carried out using CAD (computer aided design) and CAE (computer aided engineering) programs. The suspension arm is the safety part that turns the bus rear suspension more comfortable, to which the air bellows, shock absorbers and axle are connected. The machining fixture plays an important role in the machinability of the part. The fixture of the suspension arm part was shaped using topology optimization. The fixture design, which was created and subjected to a DFM (Design for Manufacturability) study, was finalized through structural analysis, taking into account the cutting and clamping forces. The cutting and clamping forces used in the structural analyses were calculated empirically, and the resulting values were optimized using DOE (Design of Experiments) methods. As a result, a fixture design based on engineering-oriented topology optimization was successfully developed in this study. The resulting fixture was found to be approximately 42,45% lighter than those designed using conventional methods, yet it exhibited higher rigidity. Structural analyses confirmed that the fixture provided sufficient resistance to the cutting and clamping forces encountered during machining. Dimensional measurements conducted after the machining process demonstrated that the workpiece met the technical drawing tolerances. In this respect, the optimized fixture design offers an effective solution that enhances both manufacturing accuracy and structural efficiency.