Virtual Testing and Experimental Verification of Medium-Duty Truck Driveability and Rideability

Abstract

This paper presents on-and off-road virtual testing of driveability and rideability on the Family of Medium Tactical Vehicle (FMTV) cargo trucks. Proving ground tests are also conducted to provide some experimental correlation and validation of the simulation results. The front suspension of the current baseline FMTV is a solid axle with leaf springs and shock absorbers. Two other types of suspension systems including passive and semi-active suspensions are evaluated in solid axle and fully independent configurations. The objective of this study is to evaluate the capability of virtual tests in vehicle performance. The comprehensive experiments also investigate the capabilities of various suspensions which have been considered in future FMTV design for mobility performance improvement.