Determination of part tolerances for reduced variation in suspension level performance by using Multi-objective Robust Design Optimization (MORDO)

Competition in automotive industry is fierce and manufacturers must meet the needs of their costumers to maintain or increase their market. It is important for Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) to create affordable vehicles with better driving experiences, comfort for occupants and safety for costumers. Suspension architecture plays critical role in vehicle ride, handling and stability behavior and is directly connected with driving experience. Incorrectly positioned hardpoints can significantly affect the performance of a vehicle. Consequently, recommended tolerances for suspension hardpoints positioning are made to avoid deterioration of Kinematics and Compliance (K&C) parameters. Therefore, part level tolerance design is critical in vehicle development to minimize production cost and reduce vehicle performance deviation. In present paper, Multi-objective Robust Design Optimization (MORDO) has been adopted to determine the maximum acceptable part tolerance values without compromising on K&C parameters. K&C analysis is carried out using ADAMS/CAR software and Multi-Objective Robust Design optimization is executed using Mode Frontier. Keywords: Suspension part Tolerance, Kinematics and Compliance (K&C), Multi-objective Robust Design Optimization (MORDO)