Wheel suspension for light electrical vehicles

The wheel suspension of vehicles is one of the most important factors that determines the handling quality of a vehicle. In this master’s thesis, a specific type of vehicle is examined. Namely the light electrical vehicles. An incorrect wheel alignment directly leads to unstable and unfavourable behaviour of the vehicle. Accordingly, it is important to profoundly examine the subject. The vehicle that is discussed is in full development, so the measurements and their tolerances are not accurate enough yet. Working with non-adjustable parts for the suspension leads to an inconsistent wheel alignment. Therefore, new parts need to be designed that allow adjustability. New parts are designed that allow the adjustability of the most important value in wheel alignment: the camber. These parts make it possible to adjust the camber after assembly. By implementing a mechanism that adjust the length of the suspension arm. The design conditions suggest that the new parts need to fit on the current chassis and the current wheels. Furthermore, they need to be more durable and light-weight. The strength was determined with a finite element analyses (SolidWorks Simulation 2017-2018) and tested utilizing a prototype. The prototype was mounted on the vehicle and real-life test drives were done. The tests are based on measuring accelerations, comparing real life pictures of the vehicle in movement and other methods. This allowed to objectively prove that the new design is an improvement. The study addresses a complete front suspension design, including prototype and tests, for light electrical vehicles.