Weight distribution

[Anonymous]

In Fusion 360, is there a way to simulate the weight distribution of an assembly?

I'm designing a trailer that will have an asymmetric load and I want 10% of the total weight of the assembly to be on the hitch. I know how to find the total mass and the center of mass of an assembly, and this gives me a good guideline for locating the axle. I would like to be able to trial various locations of the axle and determine what the weight on the hitch would be.

Is this possible?

[John_Holtz · Accepted solution]

Hi @Anonymous

You have two options:

1. The weight on the hitch is a simple 10 second calculation once you know the total weight (W, including the load and the trailer) and the location of the center of mass (Lw). Using the attached image, the weight on the hitch (H) is H=W*Lt/Lh. If you want the hitch to take 10% of W, you can rearrange this to give the desired axle location of Lt = 0.1*Lw/0.9 = 0.1111*Lw.
2. You can perform a static stress analysis in the Simulation environment. Depending on the complexity of the model, it might take 5 minutes or longer to set it up and get results for one arrangement. (Of course, a simulation gives more than just the load on the hitch, so it may be worth performing the simulation to check the rest of the trailer design.)

[stevems1958]

Thank you for this.

I knew this formula but intuitively, I felt that it wouldn't apply to an asymmetric load. Teardrop trailers are quite back-heavy. However, I've done the math on a few different scenarios with various different load distributions and the formula always works. Sometimes, intuition is wrong.

I haven't worked much with the simulation capabilities of Fusion 360. That's next on my list.