Evaluations of racing kart behavior with flexible multibody dynamics

Abstract

This paper deals with a dynamic analysis of a racing kart considering an elastic deformation of the kart frame. In this work, we have used a flexible dynamic analysis to evaluate the dynamic behavior considering the flexibility of the kart frame. As the first step of this research, an FEM kart frame model was created and validated by means of dynamic tests. The dynamic response of the frame was evaluated by hammering test, and the test result was compared to that of the modal analysis. Next, a flexible multibody vehicle model was developed with this FEM frame model. In this process, model reduction based on the modal analysis was applied to reduce the degree of freedom of the flexible body. The running tests with actual racing kart were carried out to evaluate the handling characteristic, and the comparison between simulation and experiment are discussed. © 2013 The Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers.