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Subjective steering feel tuning and objective verification tests are conducted on vehicle prototypes that are a subset of the total number of buildable combinations of body style, drivetrain and tires. Limited development time, high prototype vehicle cost, and hence limited number of available prototypes are factors that affect the ability to tune and verify all the possible configurations. A new model-based process and a toolset have been developed to enhance the existing steering development process such that steering tuning efficiency and performance robustness can be improved. The innovative method utilizes the existing vehicle dynamics simulation and/or physical test data in conjunction with steering system control models, and provides users with simple interfaces which can be used by either CAE or development engineers to perform virtual tuning of the vehicle steering feel to meet performance targets.

Evaluation of electric steering (EPAS) system performance using vehicle specific load conditions is important for steering system design validation and vehicle steering performance tuning. Using real-time vehicle dynamics mathematical models is one approach for generating steering loads in steering hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) testing. However achieving a good correlation of simplified mathematical models with real vehicle dynamics is a challenge. Using rack force models from measured steering tie rod forces or from simulations using a high-fidelity vehicle dynamics model is an effective data-driven modelling method for testing EPAS systems under vehicle specific load conditions. Rack force models are identified from physical measurements or validated vehicle simulations of selected steering test maneuvers. The rack force models have been applied in steering system performance evaluation, benchmarking, and steering model validation.

Braking has a strong effect on a vehicle's front suspension loads when the vehicle is driven over a pothole. The suspension loads of a vehicle braking while going over a pothole are also affected by vehicle design, vehicle weight and speed. In this study a simplified suspension model is presented, which is then validated by the simulation of a vehicle model. The simplified suspension model provides an efficient approach to evaluate effects of braking on wheel rebound into potholes, which determines the magnitude of impact loads when the tires hit the pothole edge. The vehicle model is used not only to validate the simplified suspension model, but also to provide the information of wheel center loads in addition to the wheel position and velocity. The analysis using the vehicle model agrees with pothole test results. The study reveals how vehicle braking affects the wheel center longitudinal forces during the pothole impact.

Front road wheel toe dynamics directly affects tire wear and steering wheel vibration, which in turn negatively impacts customer satisfaction. Though static toe can be preset in assembly plants, the front road wheels can vibrate around steering axes or kingpin axes due to tire mass unbalance and nonuniformity. The frequency of the vibration depends on the wheel size and vehicle speed, while the amplitude of the vibration is not only dictated by the tire forces, but also by suspension and steering parameters. This paper presents a study on the sensitivities of the front road wheel toe dynamics to the parameters of a short-long-arm suspension (SLA) and a parallelogram steering system. These parameters includes hard point shift, steering gear compliance, gear friction, control arm bushing rates, friction in control arm ball joints, and compliance in tie rod outboard joints.