Optimal design of passive suspension system of a 6 x 6 multi-wheeled all-terrain vehicle using genetic algorithm

This paper presents the optimal design of passive suspension systems of a 6 x 6 military armoured vehicle including driver seat in order to improve ride quality. Based on seven degrees of freedom half vehicle model, a genetic algorithm (GA) is applied to identify the optimal suspension design parameters. The problem is formulated and solved once as a single objective problem to find best ride comfort and another as a multi-objective one to achieve optimum ride and dynamic performance. A substantial improvement was accomplished in the vehicle's ride performance as well as dynamic tyre loads (DTLs). An innovative design tool is presented where data from the Pareto front was used in regression analysis to fit an approximate model that can predict optimum ride comfort in terms of front and rear suspension working spaces (SWSs). This simple model enables the designer to find insightful and meaningful relations.