Design of a Torsion Beam Suspension with an Optimized Elastokinematic Behavior 2013-36-0232

The modern vehicle suspensions are developed considering several structural and elastokinematics requirements. The elastokinematic behavior and how the suspension responds and transmits the forces and moments from the tires to the chassis have great influence on vehicle dynamics. In a torsion beam suspension, also known as twist beam suspension, parameters such as roll center height, roll stiffness, toe-in and camber variation can be optimized by altering the shape of the torsion beam. The development of a torsion beam that provides an optimal behavior specific to a particular vehicle is a challenge that demands a great amount of time and costs, being developed mainly by the trial and error method. To assist the development process of this study, DOE studies and optimization algorithms are applied. The combination of these methods allow to identify which are the torsion beam shape parameters that most influence the elastokinematic behavior. Then, knowing the effects of each variable, optimize the torsion beam, focusing on the requirements proposed by the vehicle suspension project. Moreover, the application of this combination helps to systematize the process and accelerates the convergence of the suspension design, enhancing the system efficiency. The main objective of this work is, through the use of a combination of finite element software, DOE analyses and optimization algorithms, to find the best designs for a torsion beam, starting from simple profiles (“C” and “U”), while respecting predefined values of suspension elastokinematics parameters.