Snowmobile Suspension System Design Under University-Industry Collaboration

The modelling and analysis of a snowmobile are carried out to study its ride dynamics. The work is carried out in two phases. In phase 1, the various components such as shock-absorbers and suspension linkages are modelled and studied separately,. using both analytical and experimental methods. In the second phase, the mathematical model of the complete snowmobile is created which includes the component models created in phase 1. A computer simulation software was then developed to predict the dynamic behaviour of the vehicle.

The kinematic analysis and design of the suspension linkages are carried out using a newly developed general purpose program for planar linkages, called GENKAD. The force-generation characteristics of the suspensions derived from this program are used in a 2-degrees-of-freedom (bounce and pitch) vehicle model to evaluate driver ride comfort. The enveloping action of the ski and track are taken into account by using a terrain pre-processor. ‘Discrete event simulation’ is carried out for the vehicle traversing bumps at various speeds. This modular approach to analysis and design allows for efficient product development.