Nonlinearity in the vertical transmissibility of seating: the role of the human body apparent mass and seat dynamic stiffness

The efficiency of a seat in reducing vibration depends on the characteristics of the vibration, the dynamic characteristics of the seat, and the dynamic characteristics of the person sitting on the seat. However, it is not known whether seat cushions influence the dynamic response of the human body, whether the human body influences the dynamic response of seat cushions, or the relative importance of human body nonlinearity and seat nonlinearity in causing nonlinearity in measures of seat transmissibility. This study was designed to investigate the nonlinearity of the coupled seat and human body systems and to compare the apparent mass of the human body supported on rigid and foam seats. A frequency domain model was used to identify the dynamic parameters of seat foams and investigate their dependence on the subject-sitting weight and hip breadth. With 15 subjects, the force and acceleration at the seat base and acceleration at the subject interface were measured during random vertical vibration excitation (0.25–25 Hz) at each of five vibration magnitudes, (0.25–1.6 ms^?2 r.m.s.) with four seating conditions (rigid flat seat and three foam cushions). The measurements are presented in terms of the subject's apparent mass on the rigid and foam seat surfaces, and the transmissibility and dynamic stiffness of each of the foam cushions. Both the human body and the foams showed nonlinear softening behaviour, which resulted in nonlinear cushion transmissibility. The apparent masses of subjects sitting on the rigid seat and on foam cushions were similar, but with an apparent increase in damping when sitting on the foams. The foam dynamic stiffness showed complex correlations with characteristics of the human body, which differed between foams. The nonlinearities in cushion transmissibilities, expressed in terms of changes in resonance frequencies and moduli, were more dependent on human body nonlinearity than on cushion nonlinearity.     

An insight into linear quarter car model accuracy

The linear quarter car model is the most widely used suspension system model. A number of authors expressed doubts about the accuracy of the linear quarter car model in predicting the movement of a complex nonlinear suspension system. In this investigation, a quarter car rig, designed to mimic the popular MacPherson strut suspension system, is subject to narrowband excitation at a range of frequencies using a motor driven cam. Linear and nonlinear quarter car simulations of the rig are developed. Both isolated and operational testing techniques are used to characterise the individual suspension system components. Simulations carried out using the linear and nonlinear models are compared to measured data from the suspension test rig at selected excitation frequencies. Results show that the linear quarter car model provides a reasonable approximation of unsprung mass acceleration but significantly overpredicts sprung mass acceleration magnitude. The nonlinear simulation, featuring a trilinear shock absorber model and nonlinear tyre, produces results which are significantly more accurate than linear simulation results. The effect of tyre damping on the nonlinear model is also investigated for narrowband excitation. It is found to reduce the magnitude of unsprung mass acceleration peaks and contribute to an overall improvement in simulation accuracy.     

基于有限元分析的某轿车座椅静力学分析

汽车座椅是汽车舒适性的重要保障。文章通过建立座椅的骨架模型,利用ANSYS Workbench(AWB)中的静力学模块,得到了对靠背、坐垫以及头枕的有限元分析。针对座椅靠背连接件(即头枕、背靠和坐垫)仿真结果表明:座椅各部分的结构强度符合要求,座椅的安全性能能够得到保障。     

半主动悬架磁流变液减振器研究

针对Passat B5轿车前悬架,开发了双筒滑阀式磁流变液减振器,提出了簧载质量的绝对速度及其与非簧载质量间的相对运动速度估计算法,利用实测悬架参数和磁流变液减振器的非线性阻尼力特性,建立了带磁流变液减振器的半主动悬架模型。沥青路面试验结果表明:相对于被动悬架,采用磁流变液半主动悬架后车辆平顺性改善大于10%。     

Effect of Connecting the Front and Rear Air Suspensions of a Vehicle on the Transmissibility of Road Undulation Inputs

Airsprings have been used for vehicle suspensions over the last 40 years. They are mostly used as independent suspensions. Analysis of air springs available in literature is mostly limited to a single-degree-of-freedom system or a two-degrees-of-freedom system only in the translation mode. This paper deals with a model of a vehicle where the front and the rear springs are connected by a capillary tube. A two-degrees-of-freedom model having motion in bounce and pitch mode is presented. Equations of mass flow are linearized on the assumption of small variations in volume and pressure. Expressions for the transmissibility and the phase angle in the bounce and the pitch mode are derived. Road inputs to the front and the rear axles are assumed to be identical except for a phase difference between them. The effect of the capillary flow coefficient and that of the phase angle between the front and the rear axle excitation are studied. It is shown that an optimum value of the capillary flow coefficient exists which minimizes the transmissibility of motion in both modes over the entire frequency range. It is also observed that a phase angle of 180 degrees presents ideal transmissibility characteristics. Thus, a promising application of air springs for a vehicle suspension is presented.     

Effect of Connecting the Front and Rear Air Suspensions of a Vehicle on the Transmissibility of Road Undulation Inputs

SUMMARY

Airsprings have been used for vehicle suspensions over the last 40 years. They are mostly used as independent suspensions. Analysis of air springs available in literature is mostly limited to a single-degree-of-freedom system or a two-degrees-of-freedom system only in the translation mode. This paper deals with a model of a vehicle where the front and the rear springs are connected by a capillary tube. A two-degrees-of-freedom model having motion in bounce and pitch mode is presented. Equations of mass flow are linearized on the assumption of small variations in volume and pressure. Expressions for the transmissibility and the phase angle in the bounce and the pitch mode are derived. Road inputs to the front and the rear axles are assumed to be identical except for a phase difference between them. The effect of the capillary flow coefficient and that of the phase angle between the front and the rear axle excitation are studied. It is shown that an optimum value of the capillary flow coefficient exists which minimizes the transmissibility of motion in both modes over the entire frequency range. It is also observed that a phase angle of 180 degrees presents ideal transmissibility characteristics. Thus, a promising application of air springs for a vehicle suspension is presented.     

Longitudinal Oscillations of Vehicle/Trailer Combinations Induced by Overrun Braking

A mathematical model for the representation of longitudinal oscillations which can occur in car/trailer systems in braking, when the trailer brakes are applied through compression of the towing hitch, is described. The model is used to show how the trailer braking system parameters affect the steady deceleration performance of the vehicle combination, and the stability, in the linear system sense, of the steady motions. The sensitivity of the stability to other system design parameters is also examined.

Digital simulation of the motions occurring in response to a step input of car braking torque is reported, with the results confirming the predictions of the linear stability analysis, and also showing the influence of backlash in the trailer brake actuating mechanism.

The system is shown to be capable of self-excitation in a “shunting” mode, in which the car and trailer motions are in antiphase, with the stability/damping property critically dependent on drawbar damping, and only weakly dependent on other system parameters. The characteristic frequency of the “shunting” mode oscillations is shown to be controllable via the stiffness of the trailer brake linkage, but this frequency is closely related to the steady drawbar deflection which occurs in uniform deceleration.

The model behaviour described provides a basis for the design of relevant systems whose longitudinal dynamic characteristics will be satisfactory.     

汽车座椅头枕强度CAE分析及优化设计

建立了汽车座椅有限元分析模型,根据GB115502009《汽车座椅头枕强度要求和试验方法》,对座椅头枕及骨架的强度进行了仿真分析,并根据试验结果对模型进行了试验设计,改进了座椅的结构参数。结构改进后的仿真结果表明,在满足国标要求的前提下,新结构有效地提高了座椅头枕及骨架的强度。     

A dummy for the objective ride comfort evaluation of ground vehicles

A new device for an objective evaluation of ground vehicle ride comfort is presented. In this study, the ride comfort (frequency range 0–30 Hz) has been referred to the acceleration acting along the vertical axis (subject spine) and to the longitudinal acceleration (acting at the subject shoulders). Based on the experimental measurements of such accelerations on different human subjects seated on a car seat, a proper mechanical/mathematical model of the seat+subject has been derived. The derivation of the model has been performed by minimising the error between the measured and the computed accelerations. A prototype of the derived mechanical model has been actually built. Particular attention has been devoted to the construction of the springs, of the moving members and of the magnetic damper. All of the device parameters (mass, stiffness, damping) can be easily tuned. Finally, an experimental validation of the device has been performed. The device, while seated with the same posture of the corresponding human subject is able to reproduce (with reasonable accuracy) both the acceleration along the subject spine and the acceleration at the subject shoulders.     

正面碰撞时轿车后排乘员的保护

为提高轿车后排乘员在发生正面碰撞时的安全性,文章利用碰撞仿真分析软件MADYMO,建立包括某轿车车体、安全带和假人的乘员约束系统正面碰撞模型,并与碰撞试验结果进行对比,验证了模型有效性。利用该模型对安全带形式和座垫角度对乘员的HIC、胸部3ms加速度和左右大腿力等损伤值的影响进行了比较,表明使用3点式安全带同时匹配座垫倾角25°的方法,能使头部损伤下降59%,胸部伤害下降20%,腿部损伤下降70%,有效提高后排乘员的安全性。     

Time-optimal control of the race car: a numerical method to emulate the ideal driver

A numerical method for the time-optimal control of the race car is presented. The method is then used to perform the role of the driver in numerical simulations of manoeuvres at the limit of race car performance. The method does not attempt to model the driver but rather replaces the driver with methods normally associated with numerical optimal control. The method simultaneously finds the optimal driven line and the driver control inputs (steer, throttle and brake) to drive this line in minimum time. In principle, the method is capable of operation with arbitrarily complex vehicle models as it requires only limited access to the vehicle model state vector. It also requires solution of the differential equation representing the vehicle model in only the forward time direction and is hence capable of simulating the full vehicle transient response.     

Modelling,validation and analysis of a three-dimensional railway vehicle–track system model with linear and nonlinear track properties in the presence of wheel flats

This paper presents dynamic contact loads at wheel–rail contact point in a three-dimensional railway vehicle–track model as well as dynamic response at vehicle–track component levels in the presence of wheel flats. The 17-degrees of freedom lumped mass vehicle is modelled as a full car body, two bogies and four wheelsets, whereas the railway track is modelled as two parallel Timoshenko beams periodically supported by lumped masses representing the sleepers. The rail beam is also supported by nonlinear spring and damper elements representing the railpad and ballast. In order to ensure the interactions between the railpads, a shear parameter beneath the rail beams has also been considered into the model. The wheel–rail contact is modelled using nonlinear Hertzian contact theory. In order to solve the coupled partial and ordinary differential equations of the vehicle–track system, modal analysis method is employed. Idealised Haversine wheel flats with the rounded corner are included in the wheel–rail contact model. The developed model is validated with the existing measured and analytical data available in the literature. The nonlinear model is then employed to investigate the wheel–rail impact forces that arise in the wheel–rail interface due to the presence of wheel flats. The validated model is further employed to investigate the dynamic responses of vehicle and track components in terms of displacement, velocity, and acceleration in the presence of single wheel flat.     

Hierarchical optimisation on scissor seat suspension characteristic and structure

Scissor seat suspension has been applied widely to attenuate the cab vibrations of commercial vehicles, while its design generally needs a trade-off between the seat acceleration and suspension travel, which creates a typical optimisation issue. A complexity for this issue is that the optimal dynamics parameters are not easy to approach solutions fast and unequivocally. Hence, the hierarchical optimisation on scissor seat suspension characteristic and structure is proposed, providing a top-down methodology with the globally optimal and fast convergent solutions to compromise these design contradictions. In details, a characteristic-oriented non-parametric dynamics model of the scissor seat suspension is formulated firstly via databases, describing its vertical dynamics accurately. Then, the ideal vertical stiffness-damping characteristic is cascaded via the characteristic-oriented model, and the structure parameters are optimised in accordance with a structure-oriented multi-body dynamics model of the scissor seat suspension. Eventually, the seat effective amplitude transmissibility factor, suspension travel and the CPU time for solving are evaluated. The results show the seat suspension performance and convergent speed of the globally optimal solutions are improved well. Hence, the proposed hierarchical optimisation methodology regarding characteristic and structure of the scissor seat suspension is promising for its virtual development.     

基于灵敏度分析的轿车车身质量优化研究

以某型轿车为例,建立车身有限元分析模型,对模型进行了试验验证。综合考虑零件厚度对车身质量与刚度的影响,利用灵敏度分析方法确定优化设计变量。以白车身质量最小为目标函数,在保证车身刚度和模态性能的前提下,进行车身质量优化。在车身质量减轻了6.25%的同时,车身刚度和主要模态频率也获得了不同程度的提高。     

基于变形镁合金的座椅靠背骨架轻量化设计

针对某轿车原前排座椅靠背冲压钢板骨架.提出采用镁合金挤压管材和冲压板件相结合的新型半封闭镁合金靠背骨架结构予以替代.该结构与双向调角器构成封闭的靠背骨架,可达到48.8%的减重比.对该新型镁合金靠背骨架进行了极限载荷仿真分析,并进行了新、旧型靠背骨架的成本对比分析,结果表明,新型靠背骨架强度满足要求,且工艺过程简单.模具成本较低.     

Validation of a Nonlinear Automotive Seat Cushion Vibration Model

A low-order, lumped parameter model is proposed to describe the vertical vibration compliance of an automotive seat. The model includes nonlinear stiffness and damping effects that mimic the properties exhibited by open cell foams that are commonly used in the construction of an automotive seat cushion. A shaped sandbag was positioned on a seat cushion and vibrated to obtain test data. White noise acceleration with amplitude ranging from 0.05 g rms to 0.45 g rms in increments of 0.05 g rms was used to excite the seat track. A luxury car seat and a sports car seat were tested and a nonlinear seat model was identified that predicts the actual test data with fidelity. The paper demonstrates that once a family of model parameters is identified for a particular seat, then the model can be used for a wide spectrum of seat track inputs. Additional experiments also verified that when the sandbag mass was increased by as much as 50%, the predicted response using the proposed model was in agreement with the measured response. Finally, the paper reports the result of an experiment using a human subject on a seat cushion. A simulation using the new cushion model and an ISO vibration model of a seated human produced response data that was very similar to the actual test data.     

Characteristic analysis of vehicle rollover accidents: Rollover scenarios and prediction/warning

Rollover accidents are relatively more serious than other types of accidents, so it is important that the safety device functions appropriately. For the safety device to work correctly, a rollover criteria system which can predict a rollover is needed. To Figure out the characteristics of rollover, NASS-CDS was used to statistically analyze the seriousness of accident and passenger injuries in various rollover situations. Typical scenarios for each rollover type were established by referring to the test criteria of NHTSA. Rollovers can be largely categorized into tripped or un-tripped rollover depending on the situation, but there is no method for estimating the velocity of the car in each situation. This paper suggests methods for estimating the car velocity through finding the relationship between car velocity and quarter turns by performing repetitive simulation in established typical scenarios. Additionally, simple physical models for rollover were developed and each model was analyzed to find the rollover criteria for each type. The rollover criteria were verified by simulating various rollover situations. The rollover criteria suggested would be helpful in predicting a rollover and appropriately activating the safety device.     

基于刚度和模态性能的轿车车身轻量化研究

以某型轿车为例,建立车身的有限元模型,应用以灵敏度分析为基础的修正可行方向优化算法,在保证车身刚度和模态性能不降低的前提下,以车身结构质量的最小化为目标,优化车身零件的厚度,从而实现车身结构的轻量化,车身减轻的质量为原来的6.22%,车身结构的弯曲和扭转刚度也都获得不同程度的提高,主要模态频率变化在1Hz以内。     

土工格室低路堤-刚性路面结构体系模型试验

提出将土工格室与填入其内的碎石填料组成的加筋基层置于路堤顶部,以构成一种新型的土工格室低路堤-刚性路面结构体系,并通过2组室内模型试验对该体系的受力变形特点进行研究。采用便携式路面弯沉仪测定了试验路堤中土工格室基层加入前后动态回弹模量的变化,并通过自行设计的一套可实现往复车载的小型模型车的驱动装置模拟作用于路面上的实际车辆荷载。试验结果表明:土工格室基层的加入可显著提高碎石基层的动态回弹模量值,减少直接承受车辆荷载车道的整体平均沉降;并能带动相邻板块下的土体协同工作,提高车辆荷载的扩散均化能力,减少相邻车道间的差异沉降。     

Lateral Vibration of Railway Bridge-Vehicle System Caused by Track Irregularities

The lateral vibration of the bridge-vehicle system caused by track irregularities is investigated in this paper by means of frequency spectral analysis method. A railway cable-stayed bridge is taken as the model to study, on which a theoretical analysis is made to compare with the practical results measured. The method proves to be feasible. Then it is applied to studying the interaction between a long-span railway cable-stayed bridge and a freight car as well as the effect of track irregularities on the dynamic characteristics of the bridge-vehicle system, thus leading to a couple of conclusions of considerable significance.