Abstract

The increasing demand for lightweight and cost-efficient automotive components has driven the need for structuraloptimization of steering system elements. The pitman arm, a critical component responsible for converting rotary motionintolinear motion, is often overdesigned, leading to unnecessary weight and material usage. This study presents astructuraloptimization approach for a pitman arm using finite element analysis (FEA) and experimental validation. The existingpitmanarmwas analyzed under static and fatigue loading conditions. Optimization was carried out by removing material fromlow-stressregions while maintaining structural integrity. The optimized model achieved approximately 14%weight reductionwhilemaintaining stress within permissible limits. Experimental validation confirmed the accuracy of FEA results. The studyprovesthatoptimization improves efficiency without compromising safety. Keywords :Pitman Arm, Structural Optimization, Finite Element Analysis (FEA), Fatigue Analysis, Automotive SteeringSystem,Lightweight Design