Developing Generic Load Cases by Defining Maximum Spindle Loads as a Function of Corner Weight & Tire Sidewall Height 2013-01-1435

Generic spindle loads are used in the upfront analysis for vehicle durability development. They represent different load case into the vehicle suspension system, such as potholes, cornering, and braking. The advantage of using these generic load cases is that they can be used upfront in the durability development process before hardware is available. The generic spindle loads are cascaded through the suspension system to generate component loads which can then be used for stress analysis.

The paper describes a study that was done to determine the validity of current generic spindle loads by analyzing spindle data from multiple vehicles in the same class. The paper will explain the initial data analysis that was done, which was normalizing the spindle loads by weight. In addition, the paper will then go into further detail on describing a relationship between spindle loads and tire sidewall height, which reduced the load scatter. To further develop a set of universal generic load cases that will fit a specific class of vehicles other tuning parameters were identified (which need additional analysis), that could reduce the load scatter even further. The most important finding was in the verification that this methodology appears to be feasible.