Development of a complex of mathematical models of a vehicle suspension for fatigue life analysis

Abstract

The reduction in the duration of the development of new vehicles and the associated desire to reduce the costs of automotive plants contribute to a more active application of mathematical modeling to solve engineering problems. The tasks, which are analyzing and predicting the fatigue life of vehicle components and assemblies, can be solved using a set of methods and tools of mathematical modeling.
 This article discusses the development of a complex of mathematical models of the front and rear suspensions of a passenger automobile, which have the properties necessary for accurate reproduction of wheel loads and dynamic behavior of the suspension as a mechanical system. The complex of mathematical models is implemented in a multi-link modeling environment. The models are designed to carry out a subsequent validation study of the loading of individual suspension components during forced service life tests. In the future, this complex of mathematical models can be used for simulation of semi-natural forced resource tests of the suspension module, as well as a sample for the development of suspension models of other automobiles.
 The purpose of this work is to form sufficient requirements for mathematical models for the implementation of fatigue durability studies using mathematical modeling methods and obtaining reliable calculation results. Research engineers will be able to follow these requirements to determine and collect initial data for the development of their own mathematical models.