FATECO research project draws to a close
FATECO research project draws to a close
FATECO research project draws to a close
The project aimed to improve the structural safety of automotive components and was supported and funded by the European Commission through the Research Fund Coal and Steel call for proposals.
The last meeting of the FATECO research project was held at the end of April. This project has been developed with the aim of improving the structural safety of automotive components by applying innovative manufacturing processes with a lower environmental impact. The components on which the research work has focused are axles and gearbox gears, as 25% of component failures in vehicles are related to transmission parts.
Shafts and gears are subjected to high torsional, bending and biaxial loads. The maximum stress level caused by these loads is reached at the surface of the component and therefore the surface properties of the component have a great effect on its mechanical behaviour and mainly on the so-called fatigue life and tribological behaviour. Finishing processes affect the final integrity of the surface generated on the component (microstructural damage, residual surface stresses, surface topography), one of its characteristics being the increase of temperature in the cutting zone which makes the massive use of cutting oils or water-oil emulsions for cooling practically unavoidable.
The members of the FATECO team have thoroughly analysed the effects of the use of different types of coolants in conventional and innovative finishing processes and have managed to reduce their use and therefore also their impact on the environment. At the same time, they have managed to achieve or improve the results of the surface integrity condition achieved in conventional processes, and the fatigue life and tribological behaviour.
After several years of research, simulations and tests, the working team made up of researchers from Mondragon Unibertsitatea, Sidenor, EMAG-Samputensilli, UNIBO, ECL-ENISE and CRF has identified alternative manufacturing processes that may improve the final performance of the components in the future. In addition, a Machine Learning system capable of estimating component behaviour based on material properties and process parameters has also been generated. This system has not only had a predictive purpose, since explanatory AI (XAI) techniques have also been used to obtain knowledge of the processes from the Machine Learning models.
After these years of teamwork, the working group has made a positive assessment of the results obtained, as solutions such as lubricant-free grinding of gears have been proposed and it has been observed that alternatives to conventional grinding of shafts could be viable. As future lines, it is planned to work on validation closer to industrial needs both in spaces similar to the High Performance Machining Laboratory and in the companies themselves. This will allow the improvement of the Machine Learning system developed in the project.
Researchers from Mondragon Unibertsitatea's High Performance Machining research group have coordinated this European project with a budget of €2,191,963.15.
The project FATECO Improvement of the fatigue performance of automotive components through innovative ecofriendly finishing operations has been funded by the European Commission under the Research Fund Coal and Steel call 2018 (RFCS-2018), under reference 847284.