Constant velocity joints on front-wheel drive vehicles require lubrication and protection from contamination. A rubber CV boot provides these functions, containing the lubricant and keeping out debris. The boot can fail from fatigue, leading to issues with the joints.
Using Abaqus to model the boot in operation and the Endurica fatigue solver to calculate fatigue life, CV boots with different design features (material, fillet radius, wall thickness, and preloading in compression or tension) have been analyzed.