LMS Engineering Services Optimizes Impact Harshness Performance Before Prototypes are Built

A Japanese automotive OEM requested LMS Engineering Services to investigate the possibilities of optimizing chassis design for impact harshness - the seat accelerations caused by a vehicle crossing obstacles such as expansion joints on the road surface. Simultaneously, the customer wanted to understand how the chassis optimization for impact harshness would affect other performance attributes. As the design of the suspension influences a wide range of vehicle performance attributes, including vehicle dynamics, ride comfort and NVH, this presented quite a challenge to LMS consultants. To achieve a balanced functional performance that meets both handling targets and NVH demands, the consequences of optimizing chassis attributes on the NVH behavior of the vehicle needed to be understood. LMS engineers deployed powerful CAE modeling and analysis methods to succeed at predicting and optimizing chassis performance in the early development phase without compromising NVH requirements.