Redesign and multibody simulation of a motorcycle rear suspension with eccentric mechanism

In the present work a novel rear suspension for motorcycles, able to achieve the required progressiveness in terms of rigidity by using a constant-stiffness spring and an innovative compact mechanism, is studied. The key component is an eccentric system inserted in the shock absorber head. As reference, the rear suspension of the Ducati Multistrada MY 2010, characterized by the use of a variable-stiffness spring, is analyzed. The aim of the paper is to prove that the novel proposed solution can obtain a response, in terms of wheel load, similar to that of the reference system. At first, a mathematical model to simulate the kinematics of the novel suspension is presented. This model is able to evaluate the influence of geometric dimensions of the components, checking successfully the ability to reproduce the behavior of the original suspension. After the preliminary design, the kinetostatic model is included within an optimization algorithm ad-hoc created to obtain the optimum dimensions of each component. In order to obtain the inertial parameters, two 3D models of both the suspensions are created. Finally, two multibody models of the two suspensions are implemented in Adams environment in order to evaluate their dynamic behaviour. Results confirm the goodness of the novel solution being comparable to the reference one in terms of dynamic response during the simulation of a typical experimental test performed in Ducati.

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