Dynamic Front Wheel Curb Impact Study

A procedure was developed to predict suspension and cradle loads during a dynamic front wheel curb impact event. Previously, the only way to acquire these types of forces was to run a test.

The procedure uses a multibody full vehicle ADAMS model. The impact between the tire and the curb was modeled using a simplified tire model. Specific structural suspension members were modeled with a proprietary method developed by GM to capture the elastic-plastic behavior. The analysis results showed good correlation with the test, and the procedure is now being used at GM.