Optimization of suspension system of heavy off-road vehicle for stability enhancement using integrated anti-roll bar and coiling spring mechanism

Abstract

Short suspension system has an indispensable effect on vehicle handling and ride, so, optimization of vehicle suspension system is one of the most effective methods, which could considerably enhance the vehicle stability and controllability. Motion control, stability maintenance and ride comfort improvement are fundamental issues in design of suspension system of off-road vehicles. In this work, a dependent suspension system mostly used in off-road vehicles is modeled using Trucksim software. Then, geometric parameters of suspension system are optimized using integrated anti-roll bar and coiling spring in a way that ride comfort, handling and stability of vehicle are improved. The simulation results of suspension system and variations of geometric parameters due to road roughness and different steering angles are presented in Trucksim and effects of optimization of suspension system during various driving maneuvers in both optimized and un-optimized conditions are compared. The simulation results indicate that the type of suspension system and geometric parameters have significant effect on vehicle performance.