Sensitivity analysis of a vehicle suspension system

Design for vehicle comfort is widely used during engineering development phases and one important parameter considered is the ability of the suspension system to isolate the road excitations. Prior knowledge of the variables that influence the model is generally necessary to improve the fit and the representation of the real system. Thus, the objective of this study was to analyze a model for the dynamic behavior of a vehicle when excited by a traffic bump and determine its sensitivity to system vibration. A seven degrees-of-freedom model of the vehicle suspension was simulated for the vibration modes of bounce, pitch, roll and vertical displacement of each wheel. The results of the sensitivity analysis indicated the parameters with the greatest influence at different vehicle speeds.