Experiment-Based Modeling of Cylindrical Rubber Bushings for the Simulation of Wheel Suspension Dynamic Behavior

The paper presents the results of an experiment-base modeling of a typical cylindrical rubber bushing used in wheel suspension mechanisms. The aim of the study was to build a bushing model which emulates its stiffness and damping behavior in the full range of static and dynamic loads, which are specific to automotive suspensions.The model developed maintains relative simplicity making it suitable for fast, large-scale dynamic simulations and requires a reasonable number of tests to determine its parameters. A procedure for the identification of model parameters is outlined in the paper, and a typical application of the model, the simulation of forced spatial vibration of a wheel carrier in an independent wheel suspension, is presented.