Prediction of road loads for fatigue design - a sensitivity study

Road load information is critical for the design of an automobile for durability. It is difficult to obtain this information in the early phases of the design process when no prototype vehicles exist and one has to rely on historic data. However, this data is vehicle dependent and does not reflect how the loads change due to the design modifications. Using computer simulations to predict road loads is an excellent solution to the problem. One can evaluate multiple designs quickly and inexpensively. We outline one such process here and validate it by comparing the predicted loads to measured loads. We also point out the importance of including component flexibility information in the models. Finally, we show how the process can be applied to evaluate the sensitivity of the loads to design modifications.