Modelling and Validation of Full Vehicle Model based on a Novel Multibody Formulation

Abstract

Nowadays, the growing functionalities implemented on vehicles make the simulation phase much more important in the design process. For that purpose, a representative model is required, as it allows to reproduce the exact behaviour of the vehicle, and reduce not only the time required for its setup and testing, but also the cost related to these. Due to this, the development of accurate vehicle models has become one of the main areas of interest for the automotive industry. In this work a 16 DOF (degree of freedom) full vehicle model is presented. This model is based on multibody formulation combined with an appropriate solver for real-time execution. In order to validate this model, data from a real test vehicle has been used, comparing the real dynamic response of the vehicle to the one provided by the developed dynamic model. Results show that the presented approach represents effectively the behaviour of a real vehicle, both in longitudinal and lateral terms.