Optimal Design of the Front Suspension Mechanism Used for a Race Car

Abstract

The paper approaches the multi-criteria kinematic and dynamic optimization of the front suspension system used for a race car. The purpose of the kinematic optimization is to minimize the variations of the wheel track, wheelbase, castor angle and induced deflection, while the dynamic optimization targets to minimize the pitch and roll oscillations of the chassis. In the kinematic model, the chassis is fixed connected to ground. The dynamic model has the front suspension system mounted, while the rear suspension is replaced by a fictive spherical joint. The coordinates of the joints by which the suspension’s arms are connected to the chassis are used as variables for the kinematic optimization, while for the dynamic study there are considered the coordinates of the connection points of the spring & damper. The optimization is based on design of experiments and regression models, the simulations being performed by using the software package ADAMS.