Vehicle Dynamics Simulation Method Development

Abstract

Designing a successful car today cannot be done by focusing on one specific area. It is a complex product and has to fulfill targets within many different areas such as safety, vehicle dynamics, durability, noise & vibration, design, and many more. To come up with the best solution, compromises have to be made. Compromises that cannot be done without collaboration between the different areas. To assure a better multidisciplinary design a method for conceptual design has been developed in this thesis project. Also the effects of exible components in vehicle handling has been studied. This to enhance the integration between suspension design and other disciplines in early development phases. The thesis defines a number of simulation models and the co-operative work ow between them. All the simulation models, from a bicycle model to a full vehicle simulation model with exible components, were created, verified and evaluated for their usabilities. The simulation models provided good results compared to existing data and the thesis showed that the most detailed models were not always the necessary ones to use.