Reliability assessment on automobile suspension system using wavelet analysis

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to focus on the reliability assessment on the basis of automobile suspension fatigue life using wavelet decomposition method. Design/methodology/approach The discrete wavelet transform (DWT) of automobile coil spring signal is implemented as a response to different road surfaces. A reliability analysis is applied to determine the potential of the wavelet implementation in fatigue life analysis. The signals used in this study are highway and rural road. Findings On the basis of the implementation of wavelet decomposition method, low-level decomposition replicates the original signals in comparison with high-level decomposition. The fatigue life of low-level decomposition lies in the 2:1 and 1:2 correlation graph. The percentage difference for mean cycle to failure presents low values for low-level decomposition, with 44.31 per cent for highway and 44.20 per cent for rural road. The percentage of difference for high-level decomposition is high. Originality/value The determination of fatigue life analysis by using the DWT method is suitable for low-level decomposition. High-level decomposition is considered noise that cannot be eliminated and does not contribute to the failure of the structure.