Importance of body rigidity in the transient stage of the maneuver

Abstract

Several studies have been performed underlining the importance of body rigidity for full vehicle performance, using a numerical/simulation approach (see [1] and [2]), a test-based approach ([3], [4] and [5]) or a combination of those ([6] and 7]).

In the studies where a body evaluation is performed to identify possible body weakpoints or the improvement potential – this is mostly done based on the body deflection in the steady state part of handling maneuvers.

In this paper, the focus is on the influence of body rigidity on the vehicle performance in the transient stage of the maneuver. A comparison of the results in the transient stage with those in the steady state part of the maneuver shows that different body stiffness characteristics are important in the transient stage compared to the steady state.