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Many vehicles are equipped with independent suspension systems on the front and/or rear axle. As opposed to a DeDion or beam axle, independent suspension systems have the potential to generate camber and toe changes as the suspension strokes from full jounce to full rebound. Each vehicle suspension design presents unique camber and toe curves to the tire. To improve handling, manufacturers often set static camber on such vehicle suspension systems to nonzero values so that when cornering, the outside suspension will deflect so as to maximize cornering power and vehicle stability. Then, under straight driving conditions, the tires tend to predominantly wear their inside shoulder edges, producing the phenomenon known as camber wear.

Deteriorated roadway surfaces (potholes) encountered under everyday driving conditions may produce external vehicle disturbance inputs that are both destabilizing and highly transient. We examine vehicle behavior in response to such inputs through simulation. Idealized pothole geometry configurations are used to represent deteriorated roadway surfaces, and as environments in the HVE simulation suite of programs. Differences in vehicle response and behavior are cataloged, and the potential for destabilized vehicle behavior is examined, particularly under conditions in which only one side of the vehicle contracts the pothole. Vehicle types used in the simulation ensemble represent three classes of vehicles: a sedan, a sports car and an SUV. Results show that many combinations of vehicle speed, vehicle type and pothole configuration have essentially no destabilizing effects on the vehicle trajectory.