Analysis Of Leaf Spring Stiffness And The Ride Performance Impace On A Heavy Truck

The leaf spring is the important parts to connect the wheel and the body of avehicle, it transmits all the forces and torques which affected on the body and thewheel. It can ease the impact load of the body when pass the uneven road, and weakenthe vibration caused by the impact load, in order to ensure the vehicle regularly drivedon the way. The leaf spring, one of the elastic element of a vehicle’s suspension, iswidely used because of it’s simple structure and mature technology.In many factors of improving vehicle dynamics performance and cutting down theperiod of design, the CAE as a main digital and virtual prototyping technology is animportant way to reduce the development period of a vehicle, cut down the costs, andimprove the quality of the product in designing and manufacturing. Before the sampleof a vehicle, it’s very necessary to use the digital and virtual prototyping technologysimulating the dynamic performance, and optimizing its parameters of the vehicle.This article analysed the rear leaf spring of the heavy truck by software of ANSYS,and compared the result of simulation with the data of bench test, in order to verifythe correctness of the model of leaf spring. The article established models of the mainassembly on the vehicle by the software of ADAMS/Car,which based on themulti-body system dynamics.Then we constituted the models as a whole vehiclemodel,and simulated the ride comfort performance by a pulse input running, comparedwith the result of ride comfort performance test in addition.The error is withinreasonable limits,therefore,we can use this method of model’s establishing to simulatethe dynamic performance,in order to substitute for the complicated road tests.The simulations of ride comfort performance,after adjusted the stiffness of therear leaf spring are executed.The effect of ride comfort performance by differentstiffnesses is investigated.Finally, combined the carrying capacity and lightweight,itmade an optimization in terms of leaf spring design on advanced heavy truck.