4WD hybrid vehicle design and front suspension model

This Master Thesis work has been carried out in collaboration with Danisi Engineering s.r.l. The company project, called ISIDE (Integrated Systems Innovation Danisi Engineering), deals with the development of a prototype starting from the donor car Lancia Beta Montecarlo (1975) and transforming it into a laboratory for research and development of vehicle dynamics and autonomous controls. The major change with respect the above-mentioned car is the hybridization of the powertrain by substituting the original engine with a more powerful one and the installation of two electric motors on the front axle. The work developed in this thesis consists of two parts: the aim of the first one is the design and set-up of the vehicle, through target setting strategies, weight and inertia analysis, powertrain layout definition and dimensioning of powertrain components. Specifically, the electric motors have been chosen, fulfilling the power and torque distribution requirements, then motor controllers to cope with the requests in terms of voltage and current and the transmission, according to the packaging and speed targets. Finally, the battery pack has been defined, using as input a forecast of the vehicle consumption using WLTP conventional cycle. The second part consists of a zoom on the front suspension system. Starting from double wishbone paradigm, a new semi virtual centre suspension model has been developed, with a virtual center at the lower control arm and the upper A-arm shaped conventionally. Reverse engineering processes of two models have been crucial to the development of the new suspension. The first one represents a support for the chassis hardpoints definition, whereas the second one is a reference paradigm for the kinematic and dynamic behaviour. Using the software MSC ADAMS/ Adams Car, a model of the whole suspension has been developed and tuned with the K&C desired targets.