Development of a numerical model of a reference vehicle for monitoring the characteristics of changes in wheel camber under spring compression

The paper deals with the analysis of the current condition of the issue of independent wheel suspension of passenger cars and describes the foremost characteristics of wheel geometry. The current practice of manufacturing companies is proposed in such a way that in order to speed up the development on the one hand and to prepare a reliable product on the other hand, R&D departments try to comprise predictive simulations at the early stage of development. By dint of these simulations, they are able to numerically predict the dynamic behavior of vehicles in an extremely short stretch of time ahead of the real prototype production. Therefore, the presented paper likewise provides a description of an advanced simulation tool for MBD simulations, namely the Altair Motionview software. Furthermore, the authors present a selected reference vehicle, the Alfa Romeo 156. On the basis of the measurements performed, the important geometrical parameters of the reference vehicle were compiled, which are indispensable for the creation of the numerical model in the Motionview graphical environment. The made up model is functional, ready for producing analyses of sensitivity of the change in wheel camber depending on the vertical change in axle position. It will be possible to examine the behavior of structurally different front axle models, which will be created in the software and compared with simulations of the Alfa Romeo 156 model.