COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF VIRTUAL AND EXPERIMENTAL PROVING GROUND FOR MEDIUM-DUTY TACTICAL TRUCK USING VARIETY OF SUSPENSIONS

This paper presents the comparative analysis of virtual and experimental proving ground for the performance capabilities of front suspensions in the Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles (FMTV) cargo truck. The front suspension of the current baseline FMTV is a solid axle with leaf springs and shock absorbers. Two other types of suspensions including passive and semi-active suspensions are evaluated in solid and fully independent axle configurations. Virtual proving ground for on- and off-road tests are simulated in the Trucksim environment to include constant radius circular steer, double lane change, sinusoidal steer, washboard road surfaces, and half-round curb strike. Physical proving ground tests are conducted to provide some experimental correlation and validation of the baseline vehicle simulation results. The comprehensive experiments also evaluate the capabilities of various suspensions which have been considered in future FMTV design for mobility performance improvement.