Case Study: Politecnico di Torino achieves 18% lighter wheel rims and reduced fuel consumption with Altair HyperWorks

Student Racing Team from Politecnico di Torino uses HyperWorks to Improve Weight, Manufacturability, and the Performance of Race Car

The Politecnico di Torino’s student team H2politO entered the Shell Eco-marathon aiming to minimize fuel consumption by reducing friction and rotating mass, with a particular focus on optimizing wheel rim design. To support a simulation-driven development process the team used Altair’s HyperWorks suite, including the OptiStruct optimization and FE-solver tools, to explore ideal mass distribution while accounting for manufacturing constraints.

Using Altair’s HyperWorks/OptiStruct, H2politO defined the rim design space, applied realistic loads and boundary conditions, incorporated turning/milling manufacturing limits and an aluminum alloy material, and validated results with static FEA before production. Altair’s tools enabled a CAE-driven design that produced rim prototypes tested on track; the optimized rims achieved an 18% weight reduction versus the prior design, improved handling and dynamic behavior, and performed reliably during Shell Eco-marathon Europe 2015 (IDRA finished 6th with a consumption of 328.8 kg/m3).

Politecnico di Torino

Raffaele Martini

Team Leader