Telematics Data Driven Approach for Analysis of Wheel Bearing Failures

The global passenger cars market has been experiencing significant growth, the technology is becoming more complex which in turn are leading to higher likelihood of defects. The present study explores an in-depth approach to analyze the failures reported in market vehicles by utilizing telematics data to identify and quantify critical failure determinants in real world. Automotive component suppliers design parts based on Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) assumptions of input loads being subjected on parts in market scenario. But it is difficult to ensure that each type of market usage data is captured from sufficiently large number of market vehicles by using conventional methods and hence there is an opportunity to explore Telematics in market vehicles to retrieve the required data from large pool of vehicles and meticulously calculate worst possible data points for design, testing and durability improvement. In the current scope, Wheel bearing failures are studied by capturing dynamic G-forces, vehicles’ velocity, braking events and precise geolocations of failure incidents from customer vehicles and mapping these data points to pinpoint high-incidence regions across the nation. Detailed field investigations in these regions involving comprehensive measurement and topographical mapping of road profiles, including potholes, undulations, and nonstandard speed breakers using conventional methods and Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) technology. Once the occurrence conditions were collected and thoroughly analyzed, simulation trials were meticulously designed to replicate these real-world conditions inside controlled testing environments. Test vehicles were subjected to these simulated environments, and the resultant forces on the wheel hub and bearings were quantified using strain gauges and Wheel Force Transducer (WFT) instrumentation. The data from these simulations were analyzed to elucidate the stress-strain characteristics experienced by the wheel bearings under various road conditions. Based on the calculated forces, actionable insights were provided to the engineering and testing teams for iterative improvements in design and validation protocols. The findings offer critical insights into the mechanical stresses contributing to wheel bearing failures, providing a robust basis for enhancing vehicle design and testing strategies to mitigate such failures for each customer irrespective of the location where the vehicle is being driven.