A new active variable stiffness suspension system using a nonlinear energy sink-based controller

This paper presents the active case of a variable stiffness suspension system. The central concept is based on a recently designed variable stiffness mechanism which consists of a horizontal control strut and a vertical strut. The horizontal strut is used to vary the load transfer ratio by actively controlling the location of the point of attachment of the vertical strut to the car body. The control algorithm, effected by a hydraulic actuator, uses the concept of nonlinear energy sink (NES) to effectively transfer the vibrational energy in the sprung mass to a control mass, thereby reducing the transfer of energy from road disturbance to the car body at a relatively lower cost compared to the traditional active suspension using the skyhook concept. The analyses and simulation results show that a better performance can be achieved by subjecting the point of attachment of a suspension system, to the chassis, to the influence of a horizontal NES system.     

H8 Control Performance of a Full-Vehicle Suspension Featuring Magnetorheological Dampers

Summary This paper presents an investigation of the feedback control performance of a full-vehicle suspension system featuring magnetorheological (MR) dampers. A cylindrical MR damper is designed and manufactured by incorporating a Bingham model of aMR fluid which is commercially available. After evaluating the field-dependent damping characteristics of the MR damper, a full-vehicle suspension system installed with 4 independent MR dampers is constructed and its governing equations of motion which include vertical, pitch and roll motions are derived. A H 8 controller which has inherent robustness against system uncertainties is formulated by treating the sprung mass of the vehicle as uncertain parameter. This is accomplished by adopting the loop shaping design procedure. For the demonstration of a practical feasibility, control performance characteristics for vibration suppression of the proposed MR suspension system are evaluated under various road conditions through the hardware-in-the-loop simulation (HILS) methodology.     

H8 Control Performance of a Full-Vehicle Suspension Featuring Magnetorheological Dampers

Summary This paper presents an investigation of the feedback control performance of a full-vehicle suspension system featuring magnetorheological (MR) dampers. A cylindrical MR damper is designed and manufactured by incorporating a Bingham model of aMR fluid which is commercially available. After evaluating the field-dependent damping characteristics of the MR damper, a full-vehicle suspension system installed with 4 independent MR dampers is constructed and its governing equations of motion which include vertical, pitch and roll motions are derived. A H 8 controller which has inherent robustness against system uncertainties is formulated by treating the sprung mass of the vehicle as uncertain parameter. This is accomplished by adopting the loop shaping design procedure. For the demonstration of a practical feasibility, control performance characteristics for vibration suppression of the proposed MR suspension system are evaluated under various road conditions through the hardware-in-the-loop simulation (HILS) methodology.     

Roll- and pitch-plane coupled hydro-pneumatic suspension

Passive fluidically coupled suspensions have been considered to offer a promising alternative solution to the challenging design of a vehicle suspension system. A theoretical foundation, however, has not been established for fluidically coupled suspension to facilitate its broad applications to various vehicles. The first part of this study investigates the fundamental issues related to feasibility and properties of the passive, full-vehicle interconnected, hydro-pneumatic suspension configurations using both analytical and simulation techniques. Layouts of various interconnected suspension configurations are illustrated based on two novel hydro-pneumatic suspension strut designs, both of which provide a compact design with a considerably large effective working area. A simplified measure, vehicle property index, is proposed to permit a preliminary evaluation of different interconnected suspension configurations using qualitative scaling of the bounce-, roll-, pitch- and warp-mode stiffness properties. Analytical formulations for the properties of unconnected and three selected X-coupled suspension configurations are derived, and simulation results are obtained to illustrate their relative stiffness and damping properties in the bounce, roll, pitch and warp modes. The superior design flexibility feature of the interconnected hydro-pneumatic suspension is also discussed through sensitivity analysis of a design parameter, namely the annular piston area of the strut. The results demonstrate that a full-vehicle interconnected hydro-pneumatic suspension could provide enhanced roll- and pitch-mode stiffness and damping, while retaining the soft bounce- and warp-mode properties. Such an interconnected suspension thus offers considerable potential in realising enhanced decoupling among the different suspension modes.     

Improvements in Dynamic Characteristics of Automobile Suspension Systems Part 1. Two-Mass Systems

In a previous paper, [3] the random vibrations of simple linear models of automobile suspension were solved with respect to seat elasticity and human sensitivity to vibrations. The present study uses more realistic linear models taking into account the unsprung mass.

Two configurations of masses are investigated: a two-mass system consisting of a sprung mass and an unsprung mass, and a three-mass system having an additional mass which acts as a vibration absorber. The gain in comfort obtained by lowering the natural frequency of the sprung mass is calculated for various two-mass and three-mass models along with other characteristics such as the dynamic tyre load, spring and damper forces and relative motion of the masses.     

基于柔性模型的多轴汽车平顺性的仿真研究

基于弹性梁弯曲振动理论和模态分析法建立了多轴汽车平顺性分析的柔性模型。按照汽车行驶平顺性评价方法，运用建立的柔性模型，分析了车速、路面等级、悬挂质量的分布、车架刚度以及悬架系统的刚度和阻尼对多轴汽车平顺性的影响。分析结果表明：悬挂质量的弯曲振动是影响多轴汽车行驶平顺性的一个不可忽略的重要因素；常用的刚体模型不能准确地描述多轴汽车的平顺性，不适合用于多轴汽车平顺性的分析。     

Development and Simulation of a Novel Roll Control System for the Interconnected Hydragas® Suspension

The design of passive suspension systems using conventional springs and dampers is limited by the need to compromise between vehicle ride and handling functions. The Interconnected Hydragas Suspension fitted to the current Rover 100 series partially allays this compromise by reducing the vehicle pitch stiffness witfiout affecting the bounce and roll stiffnesses. However, the vehicle body is still subject to roll during cornering manoeuvres. This paper outlines the development and simulation of a sealed low bandwidth active roll control suspension based on the existing Interconnected Hydragas System. Following a brief explanation of the Hydragas suspension operating principle die paper outlines the design of a fluid displacer or 'shuttle'. This shuttle enables control over body roll during manoeuvres by displacing fluid from one side of the car to the other. Care is taken to ensure low power consumption whilst the sealed nature of the fluid based suspension units guarantee reliable operation without leakage. Using computer simulation, the system performance is predicted and compared with experimental measurements. It is shown that roll during manoeuvres can be reduced or eliminated using a minimum of hydraulic components with only moderate power consumption and cost.     

Roll and pitch independently tuned interconnected suspension: modelling and dynamic analysis

In this paper, a roll and pitch independently tuned hydraulically interconnected passive suspension is presented. Due to decoupling of vibration modes and the improved lateral and longitudinal stability, the stiffness of individual suspension spring can be reduced for improving ride comfort and road grip. A generalised 14 degree-of-freedom nonlinear vehicle model with anti-roll bars is established to investigate the vehicle ride and handling dynamic responses. The nonlinear fluidic model of the hydraulically interconnected suspension is developed and integrated with the full vehicle model to investigate the anti-roll and anti-pitch characteristics. Time domain analysis of the vehicle model with the proposed suspension is conducted under different road excitations and steering/braking manoeuvres. The dynamic responses are compared with conventional suspensions to demonstrate the potential of enhanced ride and handling performance. The results illustrate the model-decoupling property of the hydraulically interconnected system. The anti-roll and anti-pitch performance could be tuned independently by the interconnected systems. With the improved anti-roll and anti-pitch characteristics, the bounce stiffness and ride damping can be optimised for better ride comfort and tyre grip.     

基于遗传算法的车辆悬架系统等效物理参数识别

针对车辆悬架系统的功能及物理特性,以车轴的运动为系统输入,对复杂的整车行驶模型进行了合理简化。以某型专用越野车辆为例,建立了簧载质量的3自由度振动模型,推导了簧载质量任意位置处的加速度频响函数;利用汽车试验场道路测试数据,通过遗传算法编写VC程序进行了数据拟合,得到了悬架系统在不同路面工况下的等效物理参数。实际应用表明,拟合结果具有较高的可信度。     

Heavy vehicle pitch dynamics and suspension tuning. Part I: unconnected suspension

The influence of suspension tuning of passenger cars on bounce and pitch ride performance has been explored in a number of studies, while only minimal efforts have been made for establishing similar rules for heavy vehicles. This study aims to explore pitch dynamics and suspension tunings of a two-axle heavy vehicle with unconnected suspension, which could also provide valuable information for heavy vehicles with coupled suspensions. Based on a generalised pitch-plane model of a two-axle heavy vehicle integrating either unconnected or coupled suspension, three dimensionless measures of suspension properties are defined and analysed—namely the pitch margin (PM), pitch stiffness ratio (PSR), and coupled pitch stiffness ratio (CPSR)—for different unconnected suspension tunings and load conditions. Dynamic responses of the vehicle with three different load conditions and five different tunings of the unconnected suspension are obtained under excitations arising from three different random road roughness conditions and a wide range of driving speeds, and braking manoeuvres. The responses are evaluated in terms of performance measures related to vertical and pitch ride, dynamic tyre load, suspension travel, and pitch-attitude control characteristics of the vehicle. Fundamental relationships between the vehicle responses and the proposed suspension measures (PM, PSR, and CPSR) are established, based on which some basic suspension tuning rules for heavy vehicles with unconnected suspensions are also proposed.     

基于闭环形式的车辆减振器热学特性研究

为了解决某车辆被动悬架系统中减振器由于温升过高而漏油失效的问题,提出了车辆悬架系统机械特性与其热学特性相互耦舍的模型。采用MATLAB／Simulink建立闭环正反馈系统的热一机耦合模型,并通过仿真计算得到某车辆在多种工况以及不同悬架参数条件下减振器的温升特性曲线。研究结果表明：随着路面等级的下降、车速的提高、簧上质量的增大以及悬架刚度的减小,减振器的温度升高;车轮刚度对减振器温升特性影响较小;簧下质量对减振器温升特性无影响。     

Validation of an Articulated Vehicle Simulation

Tests were performed on a typical UK articulated vehicle to measure dynamic tyre forces and sprung mass accelerations. The measured road profile data and vehicle response data are used to determine some of the important characteristics of articulated vehicle vibration behaviour. In particular, roll motions and their effect on dynamic tyre forces are examined. The measured data are used to validate two and three-dimensional computer models of the vehicle. Attention is given to modelling the tandem leaf-spring trailer suspension. The conditions under which a two-dimensional model can accurately simulate vehicle behaviour are examined.     

Experimental evaluation of modally distributed damping in heavy vehicles

This work presents theory as well as implementation of a modally distributed damping system with electronically controlled variable dampers. The presented approach follows from estimation of vehicle modal motions, through calculation of desirable modal damping forces to distribution of forces on the utilised dampers. The response time of the damping system is first evaluated in a damper test rig. The damping system is then implemented on a 4×2 tractor that is connected to a semi-trailer. Several road tests are performed to investigate how the system work under real driving conditions on a real vehicle, that includes nonlinearities and chassis frame flexibility that are theoretically unaccounted for, together with the limitations that comes with the control algorithm implementation. It is shown that the approach works and that it results in a considerable improvement for both the bounce and pitch modes, i.e. the system enables selecting damping for the sprung mass modes separately.     

Optimal Suspension Parameter Distributions and Roadway Profiles for Isolation of Heavy Trucks

Heavy trucks are known to have ride problems and are difficult to isolate from roadway unevenness. Heavy trucks are rich in modal density and are stiffly sprung, a combination that makes isolation difficult. Due to their inherent mass, trucks create roadway unevenness as they move along a roadway. Each following truck is excited by the unevenness created by the preceding one, and the road condition worsens over time. It is shown that trucks create roadway profiles from which perfect isolation is possible by having the proper parameter distribution in the suspension units. One distribution is best for rigid body isolation and one is best for 'beaming' isolation.     

Total dynamic response of a PSS vehicle negotiating asymmetric road excitations

A planar suspension system (PSS) is a novel automobile suspension system in which an individual spring–damper strut is implemented in both the vertical and longitudinal directions, respectively. The wheels in a vehicle with such a suspension system can move back and forth relative to the chassis. When a PSS vehicle experiences asymmetric road excitations, the relative longitudinal motion of wheels with respect to the chassis in two sides of the same axle are not identical, and thus the two wheels at one axle will not be aligned in the same axis. The total dynamic responses, including those of the bounce, pitch and the roll of the PSS vehicle, to the asymmetric road excitation may exhibit different characteristics from those of a conventional vehicle. This paper presents an investigation into the comprehensive dynamic behaviour of a vehicle with the PSS, in such a road condition, on both the straight and curved roads. The study was carried out using an 18 DOF full-car model incorporating a radial-spring tyre–ground contact model and a 2D tyre–ground dynamic friction model. Results demonstrate that the total dynamic behaviour of a PSS vehicle is generally comparable with that of the conventional vehicle, while PSS exhibits significant improvement in absorbing the impact forces along the longitudinal direction when compared to the conventional suspension system. The PSS vehicle is found to be more stable than the conventional vehicle in terms of the directional performance against the disturbance of the road potholes on a straight line manoeuvre, while exhibiting a very similar handling performance on a curved line.     

Enhancing grey prediction fuzzy controller for active suspension systems

A grey prediction fuzzy controller (GPFC) was proposed to control an active suspension system and evaluate its control performance. The GPFC employed the grey prediction algorithm to predict the position output error of the sprung mass and the error change as input variables of the traditional fuzzy controller (TFC) in controlling the suspension system to suppress the vibration and the acceleration amplitudes of the sprung mass for improving the ride comfort of the TFC used; however, the TFC or GPFC was employed to control the suspension system, resulting in a large tire deflection so that the road-holding ability in the vehicle becomes worse than with the original passive control strategy. To overcome the problem, this work developed an enhancing grey prediction fuzzy controller (EGPFC) that not only had the original GPFC property but also introduced the tire dynamic effect into the controller design, also using the grey prediction algorithm to predict the next tire deflection error and the error change as input variables of another TFC, to control the suspension system for enhancing the road-holding capability of the vehicle. The EGPFC has better control performances in suppressing the vibration and the acceleration amplitudes of the sprung mass to improve the ride quality and in reducing the tire deflection to enhance the road-holding ability of the vehicle, than both TFC and GPFC, as confirmed by experimental results.     

Enhancing grey prediction fuzzy controller for active suspension systems

A grey prediction fuzzy controller (GPFC) was proposed to control an active suspension system and evaluate its control performance. The GPFC employed the grey prediction algorithm to predict the position output error of the sprung mass and the error change as input variables of the traditional fuzzy controller (TFC) in controlling the suspension system to suppress the vibration and the acceleration amplitudes of the sprung mass for improving the ride comfort of the TFC used; however, the TFC or GPFC was employed to control the suspension system, resulting in a large tire deflection so that the road-holding ability in the vehicle becomes worse than with the original passive control strategy. To overcome the problem, this work developed an enhancing grey prediction fuzzy controller (EGPFC) that not only had the original GPFC property but also introduced the tire dynamic effect into the controller design, also using the grey prediction algorithm to predict the next tire deflection error and the error change as input variables of another TFC, to control the suspension system for enhancing the road-holding capability of the vehicle. The EGPFC has better control performances in suppressing the vibration and the acceleration amplitudes of the sprung mass to improve the ride quality and in reducing the tire deflection to enhance the road-holding ability of the vehicle, than both TFC and GPFC, as confirmed by experimental results.     

基于参数自调整模糊控制方法的半主动空气悬架仿真分析

基于参数自调整模糊控制方法对半主动空气悬架系统进行了仿真分析和试验验证．以某空气悬架大客车1／4车辆模型为仿真对象，设计了参数自调整的模糊控制器，并以随机路面为输入、悬架动行程为约束条件、簧载质量振动加速度和车轮动载荷为评价指标，对模型进行了计算机仿真，同时依据仿真模型设计了空气悬架试验台。仿真和试验结果表明，当汽车行驶工况变化时，引入参数自调整模糊控制方法可以有效降低簧载质量振动加速度和车轮动载荷。     

A method for estimation of vehicle inertial parameters

In this paper, a new method is presented for estimating the current sprung mass inertial parameters of a vehicle, such as the mass, pitch and roll mass moments of inertia, and lateral and longitudinal centre of gravity locations. The method measures the sprung mass response when the vehicle is driven over an unknown and unmeasured random road profile. From these measurements, the equivalent free-decay responses are extracted and modal analysis techniques used to estimate the sprung mass natural frequencies, damping ratios and mode shapes. This information is combined with a simplified vehicle estimation model, least squares analysis and known equivalent stiffness parameters to estimate the vehicles’ inertial parameters. The results obtained from several simulation examples show that estimates of the inertial parameters generally have small relative errors.     

A stochastic quarter-car model for dynamic analysis of vehicles with uncertain parameters

A quarter-car model is used to investigate the vibration response of cars with uncertainty under random road input excitations in this paper. The sprung mass, unsprung mass, suspension damping, suspension stiffness, and tyre stiffness are considered as random variables. The road irregularity is considered a Gaussian random process and modelled by means of a simple exponential power spectral density. The power spectral density, mean value, standard deviation, and variation coefficient of the vehicle's natural frequencies and mode shapes are obtained by using the Monte Carlo simulation method. The computational expressions for the numerical characteristics of the mean square value of the vehicle's random response in the frequency domain are developed by means of the random variable's functional moment method. The influences of the randomness of the vehicle's parameters on the vehicle's dynamic response are investigated in detail using a practical example, and some useful conclusions are obtained.