The effect of nonlinear suspension kinematics on the simulated pitching and rolling dynamic behavior of cars

This paper compares the behavior of two modeling methods for independent suspensions. Both versions are based on the CarSim™ vehicle model, with equations created by the AutoSim™ symbolic multibody code generator. A fully nonlinear model uses the complete kinematical and dynamical multibody equations for the wheel spindle as it moves through the range of the suspension travel. Tables that specify longitudinal movement, lateral movement, steer, inclination, and dive define the 3D vertical motions of the spindle. In the other method, the spindle follows a straight line angled to match the full 3D motion for small displacements. This approach has historically been taken for math models created by hand, to help…