Meeting the Design Specifications of Air Suspension Systems Using System Simulation

Air suspension systems are increasingly used across commercial vehicles and passenger cars due to their ability to improve ride comfort, vehicle stability, load management, and operational flexibility. However, their development presents significant engineering challenges because system performance depends on the complex interaction between pneumatic components, mechanical structures, thermal behavior, and electronic control strategies.

This white paper explores how system simulation can be applied throughout the air suspension development process to support design decisions, optimize performance, and reduce reliance on physical prototypes. It examines the role of simulation in modelling key pneumatic components including compressors, reservoirs, valves, pipes, and air springs, while also considering their interaction with vehicle dynamics and control systems.

The paper discusses how engineers can use simulation to evaluate critical design factors such as reservoir filling performance, air consumption, response times, thermal effects, frequency behavior, and ride comfort. By creating accurate virtual representations of air suspension architectures, manufacturers can analyze system behavior under different operating conditions and identify optimal component configurations before hardware development begins.

The white paper also highlights the importance of integrating pneumatic and mechanical domains within a unified simulation environment. This enables analysis of complete suspension systems, from individual components through to full vehicle-level behavior. In addition, it explores the benefits of model exchange and co-simulation approaches, supporting collaboration across engineering teams and integration with other development tools.

Using SimulationX as an example of a multi-domain system simulation platform, the paper demonstrates how simulation-driven development can accelerate the design process while improving reliability, efficiency, and compliance with performance requirements. As vehicle systems continue to become more advanced and interconnected, simulation provides a critical foundation for developing air suspension technologies that meet future demands for comfort, efficiency, and intelligent vehicle control.