In order to improve the product development efficiency,
nowadays, the usage of simulation tools has become almost
mandatory. The number of different settings, tested during the
suspension tuning, for example, can grow reasonably in the same
amount of time. Such a situation would be impossible
experimentally. In this context, this work presents a truck model
carried out in a multi-body environment (Adams) in order to
evaluate aspects of vehicle ride comfort.
The model was created with all project information available.
Typical tracks, used for ride subjective evaluation, are modeled as
track profiles and added to the multi-body model. The model is then
validated against experimental data. The measurement setup used as
well as the test conditions are fully detailed, as well as the
comparison of the data acquire with the simulation results.
Once with the validated model, it can be explored in order to
extract all information required for a robust project. In this way,
a DOE is carried out so that the main parameters of ride are
identified and an optimized design is possible to achieve.
The methodology has been used in order to achieve a best setup
in terms of ride comfort, which has been implemented in the real
vehicle and measured in order to check the final result. The final
configuration has improved the overall vehicle ride around 30%
while minimizing the amount of physical test, in other words,
reducing the development cost.