A Comprehensive Method for Computing Suspension Elasto-kinematics With Non-linear Compliance

Since flexible bushings are used as the interface between the suspension arms and the chassis, the extra degrees of freedom make the design process a complex task. While the use of a multi-body model is common practice in the industry, a dedicated computational tool can be more practical and straightforward, especially when undertaking the design of a new suspension concept from the ground up. This paper presents a quasi-static method for calculating suspension compliance under the action of forces and moments, enabling real-time simulations. The algorithm proposed in this paper was devised with a threefold purpose: integrating elasto-kinematics into the kinematic design tool previously created by the authors, integrating real-time vehicle dynamics simulation, and overcoming the limitations of the traditional approach based on the superposition principle. Finally, a comparison of the proposed model with one based on the lookup-table and superposition principle is presented.