Introducing lightweight design early in the suspension design process: A design framework

Abstract

Current lightweight design of suspension is mainly focused on the component design phase. However, if it is desired to further reduce the weight while the lightweight design of the component reaches the limit, it is necessary to consider the lightweight design in the early stage, for example, the layout design phase. This work proposes a design framework for conducting the lightweight design in the layout design stage of suspension system. A case study of the design of vehicle height adjustment system (VHAS) for electric-wheel vehicles is given to illustrate the use of this framework. The obtained design results are compared with four types of conventional layouts. The comparison results prove the effectiveness of this framework and reveal a trade-off between the load carried by each component and the adjustment height performance. Thus, the impacts of load acting on VHAS and required adjustment height on the layout parameters are explored. We find that required adjustment height has a considerable impact on the layout parameters, whereas load acting on VHAS causes a slight effect. Finally, a figure helping researchers conduct the lightweight design of VHAS is offered. This work might provide an insight for making a breakthrough in current suspension lightweight design.