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Design & Engineering

Case Study: VA/VE

Bailey Tool & Manufacturing’s VA/VE Proposal on Seat Recliner Bracket for Tier 1 Customer

Bailey Tool & Manufacturing is proactive in looking to make VA/VE contributions to our Tier 1 customers. An example of this kind of VA/VE activity is the work we did on recommending a new design for a seat recliner bracket that goes into a luxury vehicle.

The part shown below serves as a stop when the back seat is reclined for additional storage. After forming, the flange on the angled face is welded to the base and an additional brace is welded on as shown in the assembled component.

We performed non linear Finite element analysis of the seat recliner bracket applying a 500 lbf load to simulate the weight of the seat.

Bailey redesigned the part to eliminate the welding after forming and the addition of center brace support during assembly, creating a single new stamped part which was stiffer and experienced substantially lower stress when the seat was reclined.

If you have similar problems where you would like our design and engineering assistance, please contact us.