Multi-Objective Robust Design of the Suspension System of Road Vehicles

A new approach for the design of automotive suspension systems is addressed in the paper. The new approach is based not only on the theory of multi-objective optimisation but also on robust design. A simple two degree of freedom linear model has been used to derive a number of analytical formulae describing the dynamic behaviour of vehicles running on randomly profiled roads. Discomfort, road holding and working space are the performance indices to which reference will be made in the paper. The design variables are the suspension stiffness and damping (passively suspended system) considered as stochastic variables and the controller gains (actively suspended system). The vehicle body mass and the tyre radial stiffness have been considered as stochastic parameters. The optimal trade-off solutions (Pareto-optimal solutions) in a stochastic framework have been derived.