Analysis of a dynamic response of an off-road lorry with rigidly and independently suspended wheels

Road freight transport is an important part of a transportation system. It includes transporting goods for short or longer distances. Road freight transport is ensured by lorries. A lorry is a freight car with more significant dimensions and is designed for higher axle load. Depending on the terrain, they are classified as on-road and off-road lorries. Regarding chassis design, off-road lorries usually have a higher ground clearance and damage-resistant tires. The chassis of a lorry consists of a frame, axles and a suspension system. The suspension system plays a key role from the dynamics point of view. Two types of suspension systems are used for lorry chassis. Rigid axles and independently suspended wheels. Despite rigid axles being applied by the most known lorries manufacturers, there is a manufacturer in the middle Europe known mainly through the production of off-road lorries equipped with independently suspended axles. As these concepts represent different ways of mounting wheels on a chassis, it is an opportunity to compare the dynamic response of an off-road lorry equipped with both types of wheel suspension. The main goal of this research is to compare the selected output quantities of an off-road lorry with rigidly and independently suspended wheels. There were chosen output signals of accelerations on a driver seat, a vertical wheel force and a chassis roll angle for a chosen driving maneuver. A multibody model of the lorry was created. The achieved results are presented in the form of graphical outputs.