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In the competitive automotive market, industries are looking to reduce the product cost and its launch time. This work presents a vehicle accelerator pedal development using CAE tools to evaluate the design proposal and also a unique physical test performed in the final design. The objective of CAE analysis is to simulate the fatigue loading of the accelerator pedal bracket and dash area due to the accelerator pedal duty cycle. The simulation goal is to predict the likelihood of a fatigue failure and its severity in the accelerator dash mount with an estimative of the fatigue life. After the CAE design evaluation, it was performed a rig test and vehicle durability test, in order to approve the accelerator pedal new design. This job allowed saving engineer and physical test cost in a short development cycle.

Nowadays design and product engineers are looking to reduce costs and shorten time-to-market by eliminating physical prototypes and producing superior products by performing analysis earlier in the design cycle. In this way CAE analyses are normally used to direct the product development and to help to solve field failures. One of advantages that Finite Element analyses can provide is the possibility to change the parts design, implement ribs, reinforcements and change the material properties and thickness in a fast way and present the best solution for the part evaluated besides the great engineering cost reduction. This paper presents a finite element analysis performed on a vehicle jack support that needed to be improved to withstand durability peak loads. After defining the stress reduction target, the jack support was evaluated applying static and dynamic loads for several design proposals.