Analysis and Optimization of Rocker Arm using CAE

A rocker arm is an oscillating lever that conveys radial movement from the cam lobe into linear movement at the poppet valve to open it. One end is raised and brought down by a turning flap of the camshaft (either specifically or by means of a tappet (lifter) and pushrod) while the flip side follows up on the valve stem. Light weight, low fuel utilization and high toughness are the essential requests for any vehicle. The rocker arm is a standout amongst the most basic parts of a vehicle. The objective of this research is reduce mass of an existing rocker arm component of a local car model, using Creo 2.0, and performing its structural optimization, using Hypermesh as pre and post processor and Optistruct as a solver, in order to meet the required strength parameters at the cost of least weight. The Study has been successful in optimizing the rocker arm satisfying the required parameters and achieving a weight reduction of 6.64% in comparison with its initial model.