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Vehicle dynamics development relies on subjective assessments (SA), which is a resource-intensive procedure requiring both expert drivers and vehicles. Furthermore, development projects becoming shorter and more complex, and increasing demands on quality require higher efficiency. Most research in this area has focused on moving from physical to virtual testing. However, SA remains the central method. Less attention has been given to provide better tools for the SA process itself. One promising approach is to introduce computer-tablets to aid data collection, which has proven to be useful in medical studies. Simple software solutions can eliminate the need to transcribe data and generate more flexible and better maintainable questionnaires. Tablets’ technical features envision promising enhancements of SA, which also enable better correlations to objective metrics, a requirement to improve CAE evaluations.

Front end loader vehicles are prone to excessive pitching when travelling at high speed, partly due to the absence of axle suspension. This paper studies the fundamental design of a hydropneumatic suspension for a medium wheel loader. The vehicle is analysed using an analytical frequency response model as well as multibody simulations. Results show that favourable pitching response can be achieved by increasing the rear axle stiffness, but also that a similar effect is achieved with higher front axle stiffness. For the loaded vehicle, it is also found that the benefits of an optimal stiffness distribution are offset to some extent by the reduction in relative damping as the vehicle mass and inertia increases. Thus, it is desirable to increase suspension damping under load to maintain a suitable level of relative damping.