Design of a Damper for a Suspension System via Evolutive Optimization

In this paper a dynamic optimization methodology for designing a passive automotive damper is proposed. The methodology proposes to state the design problem as a dynamic optimization one by considering the nonlinear dynamic interactions between the damper and the other elements of the suspension system, emphasizing geometry, dimensional and movement constraints. In order to obtain realistic simulations of the suspension, a link between a Computer-Aided Engineering Model (CAEM) and a multi-objective dynamic optimization algorithm is developed. As design objectives we consider the vehicle safety and the passenger comfort which are represented by the contact area of the tire and the vibrations of the cockpit respectively. The damper is optimized by stating a set of physical variables that determine the stiffness and damping coefficients as independent variables for the dynamic optimization problem, they include the spring helix diameter, the spring wire diameter, the oil physical characteristics and the bleed orifice diameters among others. The optimization algorithm that we use to solve the problem at hand is a multi-objective evolutive optimization algorithm. For this purpose we developed a parameterized model of the damper which is used to link the CAE tools and the optimization software, thus enabling fitness evaluations during the dynamic optimization process. By selecting the physical characteristics of the damper as design variables instead of the typical stiffness and damping coefficients, it is possible to consider important design constrains as the damper size, movement limitations and anchor points. As result of the proposed methodology a set of blueprints of non dominated Pareto configurations of the damper are provided to the decision maker.