Rear Multi-link (with LCA)

The rear multi-link (with LCA) suspension contains three links and a lower control arm, and it is generally used on cars, off-road vehicles, and light trucks. The rear multi-link (with LCA) suspension differs from the conventional rear multi-link suspension in that the two lower links are replaced with a single lower control arm. This suspension offers good load bearing capability due to the single lower control arm, and the two upper links offer flexibility in packaging and suspension kinematics.

In conventional designs, the coil spring, shock absorber, and jounce bumper act between the lower control arm and chassis. The lower control arm carries most of the vertical load and defines the motion of the lower ball joint location on the knuckle, while the three links carry less load and define the kinematics of the suspension.

Figure 1. Rear Multi-link (with LCA) Suspension

Model Use

The rear multi-link (with LCA) suspension system can be used in either a half car or a full vehicle analysis. The default geometry and mass is that of a passenger car or light truck, however the model and data can be revised to reflect any size vehicle, from a large truck to a scale model car.

Note:

• The wheel body represents the mass and inertia of the tire and the rim.
• The wheel hub body represents the mass and inertia of other rotating bodies such as a brake rotor, but not the half-shafts if the suspension is driven. The wheel hub and brake rotor have no associated graphics.
• The wheel and wheel hub parts use the Wheel CG location as the center of gravity.
• Each body’s Center of Gravity (CG) is estimated from the body’s geometry. The formulas are coded into the point panel and can be seen via the graphical user interface. If more accurate CG locations are available they should be used.

Tip:

• A wide variety of combinations of suspensions and subsystems can be built using the Assembly Wizard. You are encouraged to build systems and understand the resulting model using the graphical user interface.

  When building a new suspension model, build the model with all of the optional systems (stabilizer bar, etc) included in the model. Immediately turn off the systems using the Project Browser and run an analysis on the base suspension to ensure it solves properly. As data becomes available for the optional systems; activate those systems and populate them with data.

Figure 2. Rear-Half-Vehicle Model Employing a Multi-link (with LCA) Suspension

The image below shows the Model Browser view of the systems in a fully populated rear suspension model. The Rear multilink with LCA suspension system has five “child” systems.

Figure 3. Browser view of a Rear-Half-Vehicle Model Systems and Subsystems Employing a Multi-link (with LCA) Suspension

Points

Points locate the joints and bushings that connect the suspension bodies to one another. The image below shows the principal points for the rear multi-link (with LCA) suspension:

Figure 4. Right Side Principal Points – Rear Multi-link (with LCA) Suspension

Note: The image above omits the left side of the suspension, points locating body centers of mass, and points that locate the optional subsystems (springs, dampers, bump stops and stabilizer bar) for clarity.

Bodies

The rear multi-link (with LCA) suspension is comprised of the bodies shown in the image below:

Figure 5. Right Side Bodies – Rear Multi-link (with LCA) Suspension

Note:

• The wheel hub body has no associated graphics and therefore is not visible in the image above.
• Optional subsystems may add bodies to the suspension, for example the shock absorber adds two bodies: a shock rod and shock tube. Any bodies added by optional subsystems have been omitted from the image above for clarity.

Bushings and Joints

The table below describes the bodies, bushings, and joints for the rear multi-link (with LCA) suspension:

Note: The table omits the left side joints for clarity.

Label	Type	Body 1	Body 2	Point	Notes
Lower Ball Joint	Spherical	Knuckle	Lower Control Arm	Average Lower Ball Joint
Front Upper Ball Joint	Spherical	Knuckle	Front Upper Control Arm	Front Upper Ball Joint	When the Compliant option is set to No, the compliance for this joint is turned "Off" and behaves as a pure spherical joint.
Front Upper Ball Joint	Spherical	Knuckle	Front Upper Control Arm	Front Upper Ball Joint	When the Compliant option is set to No, the compliance for this joint is turned "Off" and behaves as a pure spherical joint.
Rear Upper Ball Joint	Spherical	Knuckle	Rear Upper Control Arm	Rear Upper Ball Joint	When the Compliant option is set to No, the compliance for this joint is turned "Off" and behaves as a pure spherical joint.
Wheel Spindle	Revolute	Wheel Hub	Knuckle	Wheel Center
Wheel Hub Fix Jt	Fixed Joint	Wheel	Wheel Hub	Wheel Center	When the Spindle compliance option is set to Yes, the joint type changes to universal.
LCA Front Bush	Bushing	Lower Control Arm	Subframe, Vehicle Body or Ground	Front Lower Control Arm Bush	When the Compliant option is set to No, this bushing becomes a revolute joint.
LCA Rear Bush	Bushing	Lower Control Arm	Subframe, Vehicle Body or Ground	Rear Lower Control Arm Bush	When the Compliant option is set to No, this bushing becomes a revolute joint.
UCA Front Bush	Universal	Front Upper Control Arm	Subframe, Vehicle Body or Ground	Front Upper Control Arm Bush	When the Compliant option is set to No, this joint compliance is turned "Off" and behaves as a pure universal joint.
UCA Rear Bush	Universal	Rear Upper Control Arm	Subframe, Vehicle Body or Ground	Rear Upper Control Arm Bush	When the Compliant option is set to No, this joint compliance is turned "Off" and behaves as a pure universal joint.
Outer Toe Link Bush	Spherical	Toe Link	Knuckle	Outer Toe Link Bush	When the Compliant option is set to No, the compliance for this joint is turned "Off" and behaves as a pure spherical joint.
Inner Toe Link Bush	Spherical	Toe Link	Subframe, Vehicle Body or Ground	Inner Toe Link Bush	When the Compliant option is set to No, this joint compliance is turned "Off" and behaves as a pure universal joint.

The following image shows the location of the joints and bushings in the suspension:

Figure 6. Right Side Joints and Bushings: Rear Multi-link (with LCA) Suspension