Abstract
Knowledge of frame loads at the limits of the intended driving conditions is important during the design process of a vehicle structure. Yet, retrieving these loads is not trivial as the load path between the road and the frame mounting point is complex. Fortunately, recent studies have shown that multibody dynamic (MBD) simulations could be a powerful tool to estimate these loads. Two main categories of MBD simulations exist. Firstly, full analytical simulations, which have received great attention in the literature, are run in a virtual environment using a tire model and a virtual road. Secondly, hybrid simulations, also named semi analytical, uses experimental data from Wheel Force Transducers and Inertial Measurement Units to replace the road and tire models. It is still unclear how trustworthy semi analytical simulations are for frame load evaluation. Both methods were tested for three loads cases. It was found that semi analytical simulations were slightly better in predicting vehicle dynamic and frame loads than the full analytical simulations for frequencies under the MF-Tyre model valid frequency range (8 Hz) with accuracy levels over 90%. For faster dynamic maneuvers, the prediction accuracy was lower, in the 50%–80% range, with semi analytical simulations showing better results.
Highlights
Each time a new vehicle is considered for development, the mechanical structure design is often revisited with the purpose of reducing its weight, while improving several other related aspects, including style, handling behavior, or manufacturability
The wheel force transducers (WFTs) data are presented to provide a general idea of the input forces and moments exerted on the wheel hubs
The results obtained by the full and semi analytical simulations are compared to the experimental measurements and are presented at the end of the WFTs data plots
Summary
Each time a new vehicle is considered for development, the mechanical structure design is often revisited with the purpose of reducing its weight, while improving several other related aspects, including style, handling behavior, or manufacturability. The redesign process greatly benefits from a thorough knowledge of the vehicle operating loads. Reliable and valid estimation of these loads is not a straightforward task. The load path between ground inputs to the mounting points on the frame is influenced by numerous vehicle components such as tires, bushings, suspensions, or suspension arms.
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