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For Automatic transmission application, crankshaft torque is transferred to torque converter through flex plate. As the flex plate has no functional requirement of storing energy as in case of Manual Transmission (MT) flywheel, flex plate design can be optimized to great extent. Flex plate structure must have compliance to allow the axial deformation of torque convertor due to ballooning pressure generated inside the converter. Flex plate experiences dynamic torque and centrifugal forces due to high rotational speed. It should have compliance to accommodate the assembly misalignments with torque convertor in both axial and radial directions. In this paper, sequential and hybrid optimization techniques are described to optimize the flex plate design with stress, stiffness and mass as design constraints. The load path, corrugation length and axial stiffness of flex plate captured accurately using this hybrid optimization.

Primary function of a drive half shaft is to transfer torque from transaxle to the wheels in East West configuration powertrain vehicles. Conventional practice is to consider either 1st gear max torque or the Wheel slip torque, whichever being the maximum as design torque. However vehicle dynamics and Powertrain characteristics have a major influence on the Driveshaft torque and the torques experienced can thus go beyond the design torque. This questions the design endurance limit for the driveshaft based on conventional design. One such situation is the torque experienced by the driveshaft during vehicle coasting condition with gear downshift. The torque experienced in such a scenario can go beyond the maximum design torque leading to failure as was observed in Vehicle level validation test.