The tangent stiffness matrix in rigid multibody vehicle dynamics

In the development of the equations of motion of a rigid multibody system, particularly vehicles, it is quite common to linearize the equations after they are derived, or even to ignore the non-linear terms from the outset. When doing so, the tangent stiffness matrix, i.e., the stiffness term that results from preload of the system rather than physical flexibility, is often ignored. The motion analysis of preloaded mechanical systems, e.g., the ride quality analysis of vehicle suspensions, may be significantly altered by this omission. Explicit expressions for the tangent stiffness matrix for a few of the common constraint types, including the revolute joint and the rolling wheel, are derived in this article. These expressions are coded into software and included in an open-source linear equation of motion generator for rigid multibody systems. A sample automotive suspension system is analysed, comparing the results with and without the tangent stiffness matrix effects; additionally, a benchmark solution is developed using a commercial multibody dynamics code. The results provide confirmation of the significance of the tangent stiffness effect on motion analysis and correlate well with non-linear transient solutions.