Vehicle Dynamics & Chassis Engineering Course

Lesson 1 • Vehicle Coordinate Systems

Defines SAE and ISO axis conventions for longitudinal, lateral, and vertical motion. Ensures consistent sign conventions throughout the course.

Lesson 2 • Mass, Inertia, and Centre of Gravity

Quantifies vehicle mass distribution and inertia tensors affecting motion response. Links CG height and location to handling and stability outcomes.

Lesson 3 • Forces and Moments on a Vehicle

Covers gravitational, inertial, aerodynamic, and tyre forces acting on a vehicle body. Provides the physical foundation for all subsequent dynamic analysis.

Lesson 1 • Longitudinal Slip and Braking Force

Analyses longitudinal slip ratio during acceleration and braking events. Connects slip ratio to traction and braking force limits.

Lesson 2 • Empirical Tyre Models

Covers the Magic Formula and Fiala models for numerical tyre force prediction. Students can fit model parameters to measured tyre data.

Lesson 3 • Combined Slip and Friction Circle

Extends single-axis tyre models to simultaneous lateral and longitudinal loading. Introduces the friction circle and friction ellipse concepts.

Lesson 4 • Slip Angle and Lateral Force

Defines slip angle and cornering stiffness as primary lateral force parameters. Establishes the linear tyre model used in handling analysis.

Lesson 1 • Wheel Alignment Parameters

Defines camber, toe, caster, and kingpin inclination and their static settings. Links alignment parameters to tyre wear, steering feel, and cornering performance.

Lesson 2 • Suspension Types and Configurations

Surveys independent, semi-independent, and solid-axle suspension architectures. Establishes design trade-offs relevant to passenger, commercial, and performance vehicles.

Lesson 3 • Roll Centre and Instant Centre

Locates roll centres and instant centres using graphical and analytical methods. Explains their influence on lateral load transfer and body roll behaviour.

Lesson 4 • Anti-Dive, Anti-Squat, and Anti-Lift

Quantifies geometry-based resistance to pitch during braking and acceleration. Enables engineers to tune pitch response without altering spring rates.

Lesson 1 • Compliance Steer and Camber

Quantifies toe and camber changes induced by lateral and longitudinal compliance forces. Links compliance steer to understeer and oversteer tendencies.

Lesson 2 • Bushing Stiffness and Compliance

Characterises rubber and polyurethane bushing stiffness in all six degrees of freedom. Connects bushing selection to NVH isolation and handling precision.

Lesson 3 • Subframe and Cradle Compliance

Evaluates how subframe mounting stiffness affects wheel position under dynamic loads. Balances NVH isolation against handling precision in subframe design.

Lesson 1 • Transient Handling Response

Analyses yaw rate and lateral acceleration response to step and sinusoidal steering inputs. Connects natural frequency and damping ratio to subjective handling feel.

Lesson 2 • Steady-State Cornering Analysis

Derives lateral acceleration, slip angles, and steering angle for steady circular turns. Introduces understeer and oversteer as measurable handling metrics.

Lesson 3 • Yaw Stability and Oversteer Limit

Defines the critical speed for oversteer vehicles and stability criteria. Applies eigenvalue analysis to assess open-loop vehicle stability.

Lesson 4 • Load Transfer and Lateral Dynamics

Quantifies lateral load transfer distribution between axles and its effect on balance. Links front-to-rear load transfer ratio to understeer and oversteer adjustment.

Lesson 1 • Spring and Damper Characteristics

Analyzes linear and progressive spring rates and velocity-sensitive damper curves. Links spring-damper pairing to ride-handling compromise.

Lesson 2 • Ride Comfort Metrics and Standards

Applies frequency-weighted acceleration metrics from international ride comfort standards. Enables objective comparison of suspension configurations against comfort targets.

Lesson 3 • Quarter-Car and Half-Car Models

Builds single- and two-axle lumped-parameter models for vertical ride analysis. Establishes natural frequencies and mode shapes for ride and pitch motions.

Lesson 4 • Road Surface Excitation Inputs

Characterizes road roughness using power spectral density and ISO road classes. Connects road input spectra to predicted body acceleration responses.

Lesson 1 • Disc and Drum Brake Design

Covers rotor sizing, caliper design, and thermal capacity for disc and drum systems. Links thermal analysis to fade resistance and brake fluid requirements.

Lesson 2 • Brake Force Distribution

Optimizes front-to-rear brake force split to maximize deceleration without axle lockup. Compares fixed-ratio, proportioning valve, and load-sensing strategies.

Lesson 3 • Integrated Brake and Stability Control

Extends ABS to yaw moment control through differential braking in ESC systems. Connects brake-based yaw control to the stability analysis from Chapter 5.

Lesson 4 • Braking Force and Deceleration Physics

Derives maximum deceleration from tire-road friction and dynamic weight transfer. Establishes the theoretical stopping distance baseline for system design.

Lesson 1 • Chassis Control System Integration

Addresses coordination of ABS, ESC, active suspension, and torque vectoring on a shared platform. Identifies conflict resolution strategies and control authority allocation.

Lesson 2 • Vehicle Dynamics Performance Evaluation

Applies standardized objective tests to measure and benchmark integrated chassis performance. Connects test results to design parameters for iterative chassis refinement.

Lesson 3 • Active Aerodynamics and Downforce

Quantifies aerodynamic downforce effects on tire normal loads and handling limits. Covers active wing and diffuser systems for variable downforce generation.

Lesson 4 • Active and Semi-Active Suspension

Compares passive, semi-active, and fully active suspension architectures and their bandwidth. Evaluates skyhook and groundhook control strategies for ride and handling.