Jared Michael Darius
Published: 2019
Total Pages: 87
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This thesis details an analytical approach to an innovative suspension system design for implementation to the Formula SAE collegiate competition. It focuses specifically on design relating to geometry, mathematical modeling, energy element relationships, and computer analysis and simulation to visualize system behavior. The bond graph approach is utilized for a quarter car model to facilitate understanding of the analytical process, then applied to a comparative analysis between two transverse half car models. The second half car model contains an additional transverse linkage with a third damper, and is compared against the baseline of the first half car model without the additional linkage. The transverse third damper is an innovative design said to improve straight-line tire contact during single-sided disturbance, help mitigate the adverse effects of squat and dive, while not inhibiting the function of the anti-roll bar in cornering capability. Additional work is done investigating an optimization of suspension geometry through mathematical modeling in MATLAB of a four-bar linkage system. This code helps visualize the complex motion of the upright and calculates the wheel camber rate and variation to compare against tire data analysis to match maximum tire performance characteristics with camber angle.