Analysis and optimization of spare tire carrier structure for high mobility multipurpose wheeled vehicle

This thesis attempts to perform structural analysis on a Spare Tire Carrier structure to be used on US Army's High Mobility Multi-purpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV). First 1-D elements are used to perform finite element analysis on the spare tire carrier structure to determine the load path, deflection and also to identify the critical stress regions. The finite element 3-D stress analysis is then performed on these critical stress regions to make sure that stresses in any structural member do not go beyond the yield strength of the material.; From the stress analysis it is concluded that the current design is more than capable of withstanding even the most severe loading condition. Since the design has a high degree of safety factor incorporated into it, a design optimization is performed to find an optimal design for the spare tire carrier structure with minimum weight.