Case Study: Politecnico di Torino achieves 18% wheel rim weight reduction and reduced fuel consumption with Altair’s HyperWorks

Student Team H2polit0 of Politecnico of Torino Applied HyperWorks to Reduce Vehicle Weight and Fuel Consumption on Shell Eco Marathon Europe Competition

Politecnico di Torino’s student team H2politO needed to reduce friction and rotating mass to lower fuel consumption for the Shell Eco‑marathon; their primary challenge was optimizing wheel rim geometry while meeting manufacturing constraints. To support a simulation‑driven design process they turned to Altair’s HyperWorks suite, using OptiStruct for topology optimization and FEA validation.

Using Altair’s HyperWorks/OptiStruct, the team defined the rim design space, applied real loading and boundary conditions, incorporated turning/milling manufacturing limits, and validated results with static analyses. The Altair solution produced an optimized rim that reduced component weight by about 18% versus the previous design, improved handling and dynamics, performed well on track at Shell Eco‑marathon Europe 2015, and helped the team’s IDRA place 6th with a consumption of 328.8 kg/m3—demonstrating Altair’s CAE‑driven, FEA‑CAD integrated approach.

Politecnico di Torino

Massimiliana Carello

Politecnico di Torino