All Terrain Vehicle Flexible Multibody Dynamic Simulation for Fatigue Prediction

This study presents the flexible-body dynamic analysis and simulated stress recovery of vehicle components to predict their lifetime when maneuvering on an uneven random road. The subject of this study was an all-terrain vehicle (ATV). The body frame and suspension system were modeled as flexible elements for multibody dynamic simulation. The simulations in this study revealed the stress from the flexible elements and predicted the component fatigue life using the retrieved stresses. This approach considers the interaction between dynamic forces and structure deformation and achieves more accurate structure stress prediction and fatigue life prediction.