Drop Test Correlation in Front & Rear Landing Scenario for Two-Wheeler (Motorcycle) using Multibody Simulation

Two wheelers motorcycles are used for many purposes e.g. commuting from one place to another, long highway rides, racing and off-roading. Motorcycles which are used in off-road conditions require higher suspension strokes to absorb large oscillations due to terrain conditions. These motorcycles undergo jumps of varying heights and different vehicle orientations. In some of the dynamic situations front wheel may land on the ground before the rear and in other cases it may be vice versa.

To make sure that the vehicle is durable enough to withstand loads in such operating conditions, vehicle drop test was developed in test lab where vehicle is dropped from predefined heights in both front & rear wheel landing conditions. Same test case is simulated in multibody dynamics to capture loads at important connections of the frame. This paper presents the correlation exercise carried out to validate MBD model and simulation process with test data captured during lab test. Accelerations at various locations e.g. front axle, rear axle, front suspension top, rear suspension top & bottom on the vehicle were captured in physical test and the same have been correlated using MBD model. The correlated model can further be used to extract loads at required joints for FEA analysis of vehicle main frame to design as per durability targets.