Front MacPherson Strut (1pc LCA)
In a front MacPherson strut (1pc LCA) suspension the knuckle and wheel are located by a control arm and strut. The coil spring is part of the strut and acts between the strut tube and the vehicle body. The spring’s axis typically is not parallel to the strut, but is offset to minimize the bending moment in the strut.
Model Use
- 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 Center location as the center of gravity.
- The lower control arm bushings are defined so their axes point at each other act like hinges on a door. If the front bushing is moved, both the front and rear bushing realign so they have the same axis of rotation.
- 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.
Points
Bodies
The wheel hub body has no associated graphics and therefore is not visible in the image above.
Bushings and Joints
Label | Type | Body 1 | Body 2 | Point | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Lower Ball Joint | Spherical | Knuckle | Lower Control Arm | Lower Ball Joint | |
Wheel Spindle | Revolute | Wheel Hub | Knuckle | Wheel Center | |
Wheel Hub Fix Jt |
Fixed-Joint | Wheel | Wheel Hub | Wheel Center | When Spindle compliance is set to Yes, the joint type changes to universal and a bushing is superimposed to model the wheel bearing compliance. |
LCA Front Bush | Bushing | Lower Control Arm | Subframe, Vehicle Body or Ground | LCA Front 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 | LCA Rear Bush | When the Compliant option is set to No, this bushing is deactivated. |
Strut Tube Bottom Fixed Joint | Fixed-Joint | Strut Tube | Knuckle | Strut Tube Lower | |
Strut Upper Bush | Universal Joint | Strut Rod | Vehicle Body | Strut Rod Upper |
Similar Suspensions
Front MacPherson Strut (2pc LCA)
Rear MacPherson Strut
Front Quad-Link