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Abstract
The original front hub for the third generation Chevrolet Camaro Z/28 and Pontiac Trans-
Am integrates the brake rotor with the wheel hub. However, owners have been known to replace
the integrated wheel/hub with separate aftermarket hubs in order to make brake rotor
replacement easier; this is especially true in competitive racing. This project arose after
spending time at the race track with a friend, Jeremy Moen, who races his 1991 Camaro Z/28
with aftermarket 6061-T6 aluminum wheel hubs. The aftermarket aluminum hubs did not
perform successfully; the hubs failed consistently at the interface between the bearing race and
the hub. Tfie goal of this project is to improve the hub design. Finite element analysis was used
to model the extreme conditions found on the race track. The temperatures generated from the
brakes altered the aluminum's microstructure due to its low melting point, making it much softer
than needed for this application. Fatigue analysis confirmed that aluminum was not a suitable.
Selection of a better material was narrowed down to stainless steels and high carbon steels, and
finally 4340 steel. Taking cues from the original hub that came on the Camaro from the factoiy,
three changes in geometry were also made to minimize weight and maintain structural integrity.
The final design has a safety factor that exceeds the previously used aluminum hub in both static
and fatigue analysis.