Modeling and analysis of solid axle suspension and its impact on the heavy vehicles stability

Gonzalo Moreno¹; Lauro Nicolazzi²; Rodrigo S. Vieira²; Daniel Martins²

¹ Federal University of Santa Catarina. - Brazil. University of Pamplona. - Colombia.; ² Federal University of Santa Catarina. - Brazil.

doi:10.20906/CPS/CON-2016-0091

Resumo

The leaf spring is the oldest type of automotive suspension, and continues to be a popular choice for solid axles in heavy vehicles. This type of suspension, though simple in appearance, causes many problems in modelling. This paper presents the modelling of a leaf spring using mechanism theory and subsequent kinematic analysis using the Davies method. The proposed model is planar, with two degrees-of-freedom and allows relative motion between the sprung and unsprung masses of the vehicle. This model also allows a better representation of this type of suspension in researches on vibration control and vehicle lateral stability study.

Palavras-chave: Leaf spring; Suspension system; Kinematics; Davies method