Load-leveling suspension system with a magnetorheological damper

In this paper, a load-leveling suspension system with a magnetorheological (MR) damper is investigated. In this suspension system, the MR damper is connected to a spring to form a load-leveling suspension system. The system effective stiffness and damping can be adjusted by controlling the MR damper. The characteristics of a load-leveling suspension system are studied first. When the linear damper is replaced with an MR damper, the averaging method is adopted to obtain the steady-state response of the nonlinear system. A comparison demonstrates that the results of the averaging method are in good agreement with those obtained by numerical simulations. The analytical results are then verified experimentally. The load-leveling suspension system studied here is able to adjust both suspension stiffness and damping and, hence, it may provide more effective vibration control in a wider frequency range, when the damper is controlled.     

A semi-active control suspension system for railway vehicles with magnetorheological fluid dampers

The high-speed train has achieved great progress in the last decades. It is one of the most important modes of transportation between cities. With the rapid development of the high-speed train, its safety issue is paid much more attention than ever before. To improve the stability of the vehicle with high speed, extra dampers (i.e. anti-hunting damper) are used in the traditional bogies with passive suspension system. However, the curving performance of the vehicle is undermined due to the extra lateral force generated by the dampers. The active suspension systems proposed in the last decades attempt to solve the vehicle steering issue. However, the active suspension systems need extra actuators driven by electrical power or hydraulic power. There are some implementation and even safety issues which are not easy to be overcome. In this paper, an innovative semi-active controlled lateral suspension system for railway vehicles is proposed. Four magnetorheological fluid dampers are fixed to the primary suspension system of each bogie. They are controlled by online controllers for enhancing the running stability on the straight track line on the one hand and further improving the curving performance by controlling the damper force on the other hand. Two control strategies are proposed in the light of the pure rolling concept. The effectiveness of the proposed strategies is demonstrated by SIMPACK and Matlab co-simulation for a full railway vehicle with two conventional bogies.     

A study of locomotive driver's seat vertical suspension system with adjustable damper

This paper shows that laboratory measurements can be used for the identification of structure and parameters of commercial seat vertical suspension system model. A commonly used single-degree-of-freedom suspension model does not suffice. The system model presented is based on Zener's structure and clearly describes the dynamic properties of a vertical seat suspension with an adjustable damper. The model introduced, augmented with seat cushion dynamic model, predicts the seat vertical vibration mitigation properties under field conditions with a reasonable accuracy. Optimisation of the adjustable damper setting is performed using a two-objective function optimisation technique. This enables us to optimise not only the exerted vertical vibration acceleration but also the seat relative vertical displacement (stroke). Optimisation was facilitated for the particular suspended seat without the requirement of further field measurements. In addition, a two-parameter optimisation was performed showing possible further improvement in both objectives at the manufacturer's discretion. This study could be representative of driver's seats equipped with vertical seat suspension system using an air-spring and an adjustable damper.     

Semi-active suspension systems for railway vehicles using magnetorheological dampers. Part I: system integration and modelling

In this paper, it is aimed to investigate semi-active suspension systems using magnetorheological (MR) fluid dampers for improving the ride quality of railway vehicles. A 17-degree-of-freedom (DOF) model of a full-scale railway vehicle integrated with the semi-active controlled MR fluid dampers in its secondary suspension system is proposed to cope with the lateral, yaw, and roll motions of the car body, trucks, and wheelsets. The governing equations combining the dynamics of the railway vehicle integrated with MR dampers in the suspension system and the dynamics of the rail track irregularities are developed and a linear quadratic Gaussian (LQG) control law using the acceleration feedback is adopted, in which the state variables are estimated from the measurable accelerations with a Kalman estimator. In order to evaluate the performances of the semi-active suspension systems based on MR dampers for railway vehicles, the random and periodical track irregularities are modelled with a uniform state-space formulation according to the testing data and incorporated into the governing equation of the railway vehicle integrated with the semi-active suspension system. Utilising the governing equations and the semi-active controller developed in this paper, the simulation and analysis are presented in Part II of this paper.     

Inverse neuro-fuzzy MR damper model and its application in vibration control of vehicle suspension system

In this paper, a magneto-rheological (MR) damper-based semi-active controller for vehicle suspension is developed. This system consists of a linear quadratic Gauss (LQG) controller as the system controller and an adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) inverse model as the damper controller. First, a modified Bouc–Wen model is proposed to characterise the forward dynamic characteristics of the MR damper based on the experimental data. Then, an inverse MR damper model is built using ANFIS technique to determine the input current so as to gain the desired damping force. Finally, a quarter-car suspension model together with the MR damper is set up, and a semi-active controller composed of the LQG controller and the ANFIS inverse model is designed. Simulation results demonstrate that the desired force can be accurately tracked using the ANFIS technique and the semi-active controller can achieve competitive performance as that of active suspension.     

Semi-active suspension systems for railway vehicles using magnetorheological dampers. Part II: simulation and analysis

In this paper, the semi-active suspension system for railway vehicles based on the controlled (MR) fluid dampers is investigated, and compared with the passive on and passive off suspension systems. The lateral, yaw, and roll accelerations of the car body, trucks, and wheelsets of a full-scale railway vehicle integrated with four MR dampers in the secondary suspension systems, which are in the closed and open loops respectively, are simulated under the random and periodical track irregularities using the established governing equations of the railway vehicle and the modelled track irregularities in Part I of this paper. The simulation results indicate that (1) the semi-active controlled MR damper-based suspension system for railway vehicles is effective and beneficial as compared with the passive on and passive off modes, and (2) while the car body accelerations of the railway vehicle integrated with semi-active controlled MR dampers can be significantly reduced relative to the passive on and passive off ones, the accelerations of the trucks and wheelsets could be increased to some extent. However, the increase in the accelerations of the trucks and wheelsets is insignificant.     

Semi-active control of tracked vehicle suspension incorporating magnetorheological dampers

In past years, the application of magnetorheological (MR) and electrorheological dampers in vehicle suspension has been widely studied, mainly for the purpose of vibration control. This paper presents theoretical study to identify an appropriate semi-active control method for MR-tracked vehicle suspension. Three representative control algorithms are simulated including the skyhook, hybrid and fuzzy-hybrid controllers. A seven degrees-of-freedom tracked vehicle suspension model incorporating MR dampers has been adopted for comparison between the performance of the three controllers. The model differential equations are derived based on Newton's second law of motion and the proposed control methods are developed. The performance of each control method under bump and sinusoidal road profiles for different vehicle speeds is simulated and compared with the performance of the conventional suspension system in time and frequency domains. The results show that the performance of tracked vehicle suspension with MR dampers is substantially improved. Moreover, the fuzzy-hybrid controller offers an excellent integrated performance in reducing the body accelerations as well as wheel bounce responses compared with the classical skyhook and hybrid controllers.     

电控空气悬架载荷平衡系统仿真

结合当代最新设计理念,利用MATLAB和ADAMS/Car软件的联合仿真,设计了电控空气悬架载荷平衡系统,并对整体系统进行了几个工况的模拟仿真。结果表明:所设计的空气悬架载荷平衡系统性能良好;联合MATLAB和ADAMS软件的长处来设计系统,能够使产品开发过程加快,同时产品开发成本也相应下降。     

Generalized magnetorheological (MR) damper model and its application in semi-active control of vehicle suspension system

In this paper, analytical characterization of the magneto-rheological (MR) damper is done using a new modified algebraic model. Algebraic model is also more preferable because of its low computational expenses compared to differential Bouc-Wen’s model which is highly computationally demanding. This model along with the obtained model parameters is used as a semi-active suspension device in a quarter car model and the stationary response of the vehicle traversing on a rough road is obtained. The control part consists of two nested controllers. One of them is the system controller which generates the desired damping force and the other is the damper controller which adjusts the voltage level to MR damper so as to track the desired damping force. For the system controller a model reference skyhook Sliding Mode Controller (SMC) is used and for the damper controller a continuous state algorithm is built to determine the input voltage so as to gain the desired damping force. The analytical model is subsequently used in the quarter car vehicle model and the vehicular responses are studied. A simulation study is performed to prove the effectiveness and robustness of the semi-active control approach. Results show that the semi-active controller can achieve compatible performance as that of active suspension controller except for a little deterioration.     

Ride quality evaluation of a vehicle with a planar suspension system

The longitudinal connection between a chassis and a wheel in a conventional vehicle suspension system is commonly very stiff than the vertical connection. Such a mechanism can efficiently isolate vibrations and absorb shocks in the vertical direction but cannot sufficiently attenuate the impact in the longitudinal direction. In order to overcome such a limitation, a planar suspension system (PSS) with spring–damper struts in both the longitudinal and vertical directions is proposed so that the vibration along any direction in the wheel rotation plane can be isolated. In this paper, the dynamic responses of a vehicle with PSS due to a single bump and random road unevenness are investigated. The ride quality of the vehicle with PSS is evaluated in accordance with ISO 2631. A comparison with that of a similar conventional vehicle is conducted to demonstrate the promising potentials of the PSS in improving the vehicle ride quality.     

基于ILMI算法的车辆半主动悬架静态输出反馈控制

针对采用磁流变阻尼器的1/4汽车半主动悬架模型进行振动控制分析。利用迭代线性矩阵不等式(ILMI)算法在输出反馈控制中的求解优势,提出基于ILMI算法的半主动悬架静态输出反馈控制方法。仿真结果表明,结合合适的控制算法,采用磁流变阻尼器的半主动悬架系统有效地改善了汽车驾驶平顺性和乘坐舒适性。     

客车用可升降空气悬架系统

近几年空气悬架在客车上的应用日益广泛。功能也不断增加。简要介绍了由机械控制和电子控制的客车用可升降空气悬架的控制方式、组成、工作原理及在车辆上匹配时的注意事项。     

主动悬架系统对汽车侧翻稳定性改善分析

针对被动悬架系统侧翻稳定性比较差的问题,提出采用主动悬架系统的方法进行改善。通过汽车侧倾运动状态分析,建立了被动悬架系统、主动悬架系统和控制系统模型。模拟分析得到主动悬架系统使得汽车在弯道行驶时的侧倾角有效值下降了92.8%,侧倾角加速度有效值下降了78.2%,侧翻因子有效值下降了92.6%。结果表明:利用主动悬架系统可以有效地降低汽车非直线行驶时的侧倾角以及侧倾角加速度,提高汽车的侧翻稳定性,是提高汽车非直线行驶状态下安全性的一个合理的解决方案。     

Dynamic behaviour of a high-speed train hydraulic yaw damper

This paper focuses on revealing the dynamic behaviour of a hydraulic yaw damper under very small excitation conditions. First, the measured yaw damper movement is presented when a train experiences unstable motions. It shows that the yaw damper is characterized by very small harmonic movement between 0.5 and 2?mm. Following this, a simplified physical model of the yaw damper is developed which has the ability to reproduce its dynamic performance in the range of operating conditions, and then suitably validated with experimental results. At last, the dynamic behaviour of the yaw damper under very small amplitudes is investigated by comparing with its static behaviour, and the dynamic stiffness and damping in terms of key parameters are studied. It is concluded that there is a great difference in the damper performance between dynamic and static conditions which is caused by the internal damper flexibility under small amplitudes. The percentage of entrapped air in oil, rubber attachment stiffness, and leakage flow have a great effect on the dynamic behaviour of the yaw damper related to the dynamic stiffness and damping. The effect is even more remarkable for smaller amplitudes regarding the dissolved air in oil. Oil leakage has a greater impact on dynamic damping than dynamic stiffness. The series stiffness of the yaw damper is mainly provided by the spring effect of the oil when the rubber attachment stiffness reached a certain limit, and an additional increase in rubber attachment stiffness becomes useless to further enhance the overall stiffness of the damper.     

Kinematic and dynamic analysis of the McPherson suspension with a planar quarter-car model

McPherson suspension modelling poses a challenging problem due to its nonlinear asymmetric behaviour. The paper proposes a planar quarter-car analytical model that not only considers vertical motion of the sprung mass (chassis) but also: (i) rotation and translation for the unsprung mass (wheel assembly), (ii) wheel mass and its inertia moment about the longitudinal axis, and (iii) tyre damping and lateral deflection. This kinematic–dynamic model offers a solution to two important shortcomings of the conventional quarter-car model: it accounts for geometry and for tyre modelling. The paper offers a systematic development of the planar model as well as the complete set of mathematical equations. This analytical model can be suitable for fast computation in hardware-in-the-loop applications. Furthermore, a reproducible Simulink implementation is given. The model has been compared with a realistic Adams/View simulation to analyse dynamic behaviour for the jounce and rebound motion of the wheel and two relevant kinematic parameters: camber angle and track width variation.     

重型载重车平衡悬架系统技术提升

由于重型载重车承载力大且使用工况恶劣,导致整车平衡悬架平衡轴总成在使用过程中平衡轴断裂、平衡轴支架产生裂纹等故障频发,严重影响客户正常使用,同时使得售后维修及索赔成本大大增加。文章针对平衡轴总成在使用过程中的失效模式,对重型载重车的平衡悬架系统进行技术提升,在原有技术及结构基础上,设计了一种新结构平衡轴总成,从而大大降低了平衡轴总成故障率,最大程度的提高了平衡轴总成使用寿命。     

Dual objective active suspension system based on a novel nonlinear disturbance compensator

This paper proposes an active suspension system to fulfil the dual objective of improving ride comfort while trying to keep the suspension deflection within the limits of the rattle space. The scheme is based on a novel nonlinear disturbance compensator which employs a nonlinear function of the suspension deflection. The scheme is analysed and validated by simulation and experimentation on a laboratory setup. The performance is compared with a passive suspension system for a variety of road profiles.     

Identification of nonlinear systems using modified particle swarm optimisation: a hydraulic suspension system

This paper presents a novel modified particle swarm optimisation (MPSO) algorithm to identify nonlinear systems. The case of study is a hydraulic suspension system with a complicated nonlinear model. One of the main goals of system identification is to design a model-based controller such as a nonlinear controller using the feedback linearisation. Once the model is identified, the found parameters may be used to design or tune the controller. We introduce a novel mutation mechanism to enhance the global search ability and increase the convergence speed. The MPSO is used to find the optimum values of parameters by minimising the fitness function. The performance of MPSO is compared with genetic algorithm and alternative particle swarm optimisation algorithms in parameter identification. The presented comparisons confirm the superiority of MPSO algorithm in terms of the convergence speed and the accuracy without the premature convergence problem. Furthermore, MPSO is improved to detect any changes of system parameters, which can be used for designing an adaptive controller. Simulation results show the success of the proposed algorithm in tracking time-varying parameters.     

Fault detection of vehicle suspension system using wavelet analysis

This paper presents a method based on continuous wavelet transform to detect the faults of vehicle suspension systems. The Morlet wavelet functions are employed to approach the natural frequencies of the system and the frequency components of the signal with relative maximum energy. To evaluate our method, we use a full vehicle dynamic model which has been simulated in ADAMS/CAR and validated by laboratory test results. The suspension faults have been considered due to the damage of shock absorbers (dampers) and upper damper bushings (UDBs) and assumed as the decrease in damping force and loose joints, respectively. In this paper, the incapability of the spectral analysis by using fast Fourier transform in analysis of the signals is revealed through applying the inputs that include transient characteristics and then wavelet transform employed to achieve more proper results. A swept frequency is applied as an input to the wheels that simulates the road irregularities. After detection of faulty sections of the system using signal energy distribution, the defects of damper and UDBs are distinguished from each other through observing the changes of natural frequencies and corresponding energy amplitudes.     

Multi-objective optimization of quarter-car models with a passive or semi-active suspension system

A systematic methodology is applied in an effort to select optimum values for the suspension damping and stiffness parameters of two degrees of freedom quarter-car models, subjected to road excitation. First, models involving passive suspension dampers with constant or dual rate characteristics are considered. In addition, models with semi-active suspensions are also examined. Moreover, special emphasis is put in modeling possible temporary separations of the wheel from the ground. For all these models, appropriate methodologies are employed for capturing the motions of the vehicle resulting from passing with a constant horizontal speed over roads involving an isolated or a distributed geometric irregularity. The optimization process is based on three suitable performance criteria, related to ride comfort, suspension travel and road holding of the vehicle and yielding the most important suspension stiffness and damping parameters. As these criteria are conflicting, a suitable multi-objective optimization methodology is set up and applied. As a result, a series of diagrams with typical numerical results are presented and compared in both the corresponding objective spaces (in the form of classical Pareto fronts) and parameter spaces.