1⁄4 Car Model for Suspension Trim Corrector Performances Evaluation

The paper presents a complex quarter car model obtained with ADAMS software, View module, useful in the first stage of suspension dimensioning and optimization.The model is equipped with compression and rebound stopper buffer and suspension trim corrector.The proposed quarter car model with two degrees of freedom (wheel and body) performs all these goals allowing changing:Geometrical elementsPosition of equilibrium, depending on vehicle load;Trim correction;Elastic and dissipative characteristics of the suspension and tire;Suspension stroke;Road profile, assessed either by simple or summation of harmonic functions or reproducing real roadsBuffers (for stroke limitation) position and characteristics;The models developed provide information on:Vertical stability assessed by vertical movements of the body and the longitudinal and transversal stability evaluated based on adherence characterized by wheel ground contact force and frequency of soil detachment wheel.Comfort assessed on the basis of body vertical acceleration and collision forces to the stroke ends.The body-road clearanceThe trim corrector efficiencyAll above performances evaluated function the road unevenness, acceleration, deceleration, turning regime.The damping characteristic is defined by damping forces at different speed for each strokes respectively one for rebound and other for compression.The contact force road-wheel is defined based tire rigidity law.The stopper buffer forces on rebound and compression are defined based each specific rigidity characteristics.The road excitation is realized with a function generator.The software allow the model evolution visualisation in real time, also generating the diagrams of displacements, forces, accelerations, speeds, for each elements or for relative evolution between diverse elements.The simulation was realized for unloaded and fully loaded car using a road generated by a sum of harmonic functions presented in equation (8).The excitation covers the specific frequencies area, being under the body frequencies up to the wheel proper frequencies.The realized ¼ car model, have reached the goal to evaluate the suspension trim correction advantages.The simulations confirm the trim corrector increases the suspension performances, thus for the analyzed case the trim corrector increase simultaneous:Body-ground clearance (evaluated by body higher increasing) between 18.5÷55.1 %Body stability (evaluated by maximal body displacement) between 9.8÷11.4 %Body comfort (evaluated by maximal body acceleration) between 3.4÷35.5 %Adherence (evaluated by maximal and RMS wheel-groundcontact force variation) between 7.0÷12.1 %Body and axles protection (evaluated by buffer strike force) between 10.8÷38.2 %