Energy Requirements of a Passive and an Electromechanical Active Suspension System

Passive suspensions are designed to dissipate the energy otherwise transferred to a vehicle's body through interactions with a roadway or terrain. A bond graph representation of an independent suspension design was developed to study the energy flow through a vehicle. The bond graph model was tuned and validated through experimental tests and was found to produce suitable results. Examining the bond graph reveals that the dissipated energy associated with vertical and transverse coordinates generally originates from the longitudinal motion of the vehicle and is transferred through the tire-ground contact patch. Additionally, since the longitudinal energy originates from the vehicle's engine, the energy dissipated via the suspension shock absorber as well as other components (e.g., mechanical joints, etc.) essentially dissipate some engine energy. The plots presented in the paper support this theory by showing that upon traveling a rough terrain, the vehicle's longitudinal velocity drops more when vertical vibrations increase. Results show that a vehicle equipped with a passive suspension experiences a larger velocity drop compared to one with an active suspension traversing the same rough terrain. The paper compares the results of simulation of an analytical bond graph model of an active suspension system with experimental results and finds good agreement between the two. Other simulations show that relative to passive suspensions, not only do active suspensions yield substantial improvement in ride quality, they can also result in substantial energy savings. This paper concludes that if electromechanical actuators are supplemented by passive springs to support the vehicle static weight, the amount of energy required for operation of actuators is significantly less than the amount dissipated by conventional shock absorbers.     

Optimum Suspension Design for Motorcycle Braking

A mathematical model for the in-plane dynamic analysis of motorcycles is presented and the performance during an emergency braking manoeuvre is analysed. The effects of braking torque amplitude and time constant are discussed and the problems of lock-up and loss of contact of the rear wheel are highlighted. The suspensions' vibrations during braking are analysed by means of modal analysis. An optimisation method is developed in order to find the braking torque and the suspension parameters that minimise the stopping distance. The method takes the complete dynamic behaviour of the vehicle during braking into account and is based on a non-derivative minimisation algorithm. Several results are presented that show the possibility of shortening the stopping distance by optimum design of one or both of the suspensions.     

Optimum Suspension Design for Motorcycle Braking

A mathematical model for the in-plane dynamic analysis of motorcycles is presented and the performance during an emergency braking manoeuvre is analysed. The effects of braking torque amplitude and time constant are discussed and the problems of lock-up and loss of contact of the rear wheel are highlighted. The suspensions' vibrations during braking are analysed by means of modal analysis. An optimisation method is developed in order to find the braking torque and the suspension parameters that minimise the stopping distance. The method takes the complete dynamic behaviour of the vehicle during braking into account and is based on a non-derivative minimisation algorithm. Several results are presented that show the possibility of shortening the stopping distance by optimum design of one or both of the suspensions.     

Field measurements of the evolution of wheel wear and vehicle dynamics for high-speed trains

This investigation demonstrates the wheel wear evolution and related vehicle dynamics of high-speed trains with an operating distance (OD) of around two million kilometres. A long-term experimental test lasting two years was conducted to record the wheel profiles and structural vibrations of various trainsets. The wheel wear, namely the profile shape, worn distribution and wheelset conicity, is investigated for several continuous reprofiling cycles. Typical results are illustrated for the stability analysis, and the ride quality is examined with increasing OD. In addition, the vibration transition characteristics between suspensions are investigated in both the time and frequency domains. The experiments show that the dominant wear concentrates on the nominal rolling radius, and the wear rate increases with OD because of the surface softening resulting from the loss of wheel material. The vibration of structural components is aggravated by the increase of the equivalent conicity of the wheelset, which rises approximately linearly with the wheel wear and OD. High-frequency vibrations arise in the bogie and car body related to the track arrangement and wheel out-of-roundness, causing the ride comfort to worsen significantly. Additionally, the system vibration characteristics are strongly dependent on the atmospheric temperature. Summaries and conclusions are obtained regarding the wheel wear and related vehicle dynamics of high-speed trains over long operating times and distances.     

Energy Requirements of a Passive and an Electromechanical Active Suspension System

Passive suspensions are designed to dissipate the energy otherwise transferred to a vehicle's body through interactions with a roadway or terrain. A bond graph representation of an independent suspension design was developed to study the energy flow through a vehicle. The bond graph model was tuned and validated through experimental tests and was found to produce suitable results. Examining the bond graph reveals that the dissipated energy associated with vertical and transverse coordinates generally originates from the longitudinal motion of the vehicle and is transferred through the tire-ground contact patch. Additionally, since the longitudinal energy originates from the vehicle's engine, the energy dissipated via the suspension shock absorber as well as other components (e.g., mechanical joints, etc.) essentially dissipate some engine energy. The plots presented in the paper support this theory by showing that upon traveling a rough terrain, the vehicle's longitudinal velocity drops more when vertical vibrations increase. Results show that a vehicle equipped with a passive suspension experiences a larger velocity drop compared to one with an active suspension traversing the same rough terrain. The paper compares the results of simulation of an analytical bond graph model of an active suspension system with experimental results and finds good agreement between the two. Other simulations show that relative to passive suspensions, not only do active suspensions yield substantial improvement in ride quality, they can also result in substantial energy savings. This paper concludes that if electromechanical actuators are supplemented by passive springs to support the vehicle static weight, the amount of energy required for operation of actuators is significantly less than the amount dissipated by conventional shock absorbers.     

Adaptive Suspension Concepts for Road Vehicles

Most vehicle suspensions are composed of passive spring and damper devices, although improved suspension performance is possible if an active system is used to control forces or relative velocities. The complexity, power requirements, and cost of fully active suspensions have restricted their use. Various partially active suspensions have been proposed and suspensions with slow load levelers and variable dampers are in widespread use. Here we analyze a class of basically passive suspensions the parameters of which can be varied actively in response to various measured signals on the vehicle. These suspensions can come close to optimal performance with simpler means than many of the active or semi-active schemes previously proposed.     

Electronically Controllable Vehicle Suspensions

The basic functions which suspensions must perform are described and categories of controllable suspensions based on the required amount of control power are defined. The kinds of devices which can be used in controllable suspensions are discussed as well as several basic control philosophies. Finally, fundamental theoretical and practical limitations in suspension performance are indicated.     

Adaptive Suspension Concepts for Road Vehicles

SUMMARY

Most vehicle suspensions are composed of passive spring and damper devices, although improved suspension performance is possible if an active system is used to control forces or relative velocities. The complexity, power requirements, and cost of fully active suspensions have restricted their use. Various partially active suspensions have been proposed and suspensions with slow load levelers and variable dampers are in widespread use. Here we analyze a class of basically passive suspensions the parameters of which can be varied actively in response to various measured signals on the vehicle. These suspensions can come close to optimal performance with simpler means than many of the active or semi-active schemes previously proposed.     

Electronically Controllable Vehicle Suspensions

SUMMARY

The basic functions which suspensions must perform are described and categories of controllable suspensions based on the required amount of control power are defined. The kinds of devices which can be used in controllable suspensions are discussed as well as several basic control philosophies. Finally, fundamental theoretical and practical limitations in suspension performance are indicated.     

水中悬浮隧道锚索的非线性涡激振动研究

建立了水中悬浮隧道锚索在波流场中涡激振动的非线性数学模型,考虑了锚索的几何非线性对其涡激振动的影响,并应用有限差分法求解了锚索的运动控制方程。计算结果表明:锚索在顺流向和横向2个方向运动的耦合作用特别是几何非线性作用的引入,抑制了部分高阶模态的激发,使锚索横向涡激振动的振幅减小,顺流向振动的振幅增大;在悬浮隧道的振动引起的强迫激励和参数激励作用下,锚索顺流向涡激振动振幅显著增大,横向涡激振动出现"拍"的现象。     

路面特性对车辆振动影响规律研究

对软路面上车辆的扭转、垂直和纵向振动进行了研究,首先对振动车辆进行单因素(路面不平度、胎压、路面抗压强度和牵引负荷)分析,找出对车辆振动影响显著的因素及影响规律,在此基础上对影响振动的多因素进行正交试验,分析交互作用对车辆振动的影响规律。同时,对不同路面条件下振动进行研究分析。随着路面波形频率、路面抗压能力、轮胎气压和牵引负荷的增加,车辆扭转、垂直和纵向振动增加。对于垂直振动、扭振和纵向振动,其主要影响因素各不相同。     

Carbody elastic vibrations of high-speed vehicles caused by bogie hunting instability

In particular locations of the high-speed track, the worn wheel profile matched up with the worn rail profile will lead to an extremely high-conicity wheel–rail contact. Consequently, the bogie hunting instability arises, which further results in the so-called carbody shaking phenomenon. In this paper, the carbody elastic vibrations of a high-speed vehicle in service are firstly introduced. Modal tests are conducted to identity the elastic modes of the carbody. The ride comfort and running safety indices for the tested vehicle are evaluated. The rigid–flexible coupling dynamic model for the high-speed passenger car is then developed by using the FE and MBS coupling approach. The rail profiles in those particular locations are measured and further integrated into the simulation model to reproduce the bogie hunting and carbody elastic vibrations. The effects of wheel and rail wear on the vehicle system response, e.g. wheelset bifurcation graph and carbody vibrations, are studied. Two improvement measures, including the wheel profile modification and rail grinding, are proposed to provide possible solutions. It is found that the wheel–rail contact conicity can be lowered by decreasing wheel flange thickness or grinding rail corner, which is expected to improve the bogie hunting stability under worn rail and worn wheel conditions. The carbody elastic vibrations caused by bogie hunting instability can be further restrained.     

Structured H2 Optimization of Vehicle Suspensions Based on Multi-Wheel Models

Summary Various control techniques, especially LQG optimal control, have been applied to the design of active and semi-active vehicle suspensions over the past several decades. However passive suspensions remain dominant in the automotive marketplace because they are simple, reliable, and inexpensive. The force generated by a passive suspension at a given wheel can depend only on the relative displacement and velocity at that wheel, and the suspension parameters for the left and right wheels are usually required to be equal. Therefore, a passive vehicle suspension can be viewed as a decentralized feedback controller with constraints to guarantee suspension symmetry. In this paper, we cast the optimization of passive vehicle suspensions as structure-constrained LQG/H2 optimal control problems. Correlated road random excitations are taken as the disturbance inputs; ride comfort, road handling, suspension travel, and vehicle-body attitude are included in the cost outputs. We derive a set of necessary conditions for optimality and then develop a gradient-based method to efficiently solve the structure-constrained H2 optimization problem. An eight-DOF four-wheel-vehicle model is studied as an example to illustrate application of the procedure, which is useful for design of both passive suspensions and active suspensions with controller-structure constraints.     

Observer Design for Electronic Suspension Applications*

SUMMARY

This paper proposes a new methodology for designing observers for automotive suspensions. Automotive suspensions are disturbance-affected dynamic systems. Semi-active suspensions are bilinear while active suspensions with hydraulic actuators are nonlinear. The proposed methodology guarantees exponentially convergent state estimation for both these systems. It uses easily accessible and inexpensive measurements. The fact that sprung mass absolute velocity of the suspension cannot be estimated in an exponentially stable manner with such measurements is also demonstrated.

Controllers using estimated states are implemented experimentally on the Berkeley Active Suspension Test Rig. Experimental results for two cases are presented : use of observer states to improve ride quality in an active suspension and use of observer states to reduce dynamic tire loading in a semi-active heavy vehicle suspension.     

对汽车平顺性评价方法的探讨与建议

首先分析了现行国家标准GB4970-1996<汽车平顺性随机输入行驶试验方法>与国际上通行的人体振动评价标准ISO2631-1997的区别.通过道路试验测量了驾驶员坐垫、靠背和脚部的平移振动以及坐垫的旋转振动共lO个方向的振动.分析发现汽车中人体振动的峰值因子一般小于9;而按照GB4970和ISO2631的试验数据对比表明,GB4970在一定程度上低估了人体振动.分析各方向振动所占的比例发现,坐垫垂向振动、靠背前后振动和坐垫侧倾振动影响最大.最后提出了对汽车平顺性评价方法的建议.     

Non-stationary random vibration analysis of three-dimensional train–bridge systems

The quarter car model has been used extensively to study the benefits of active, semi-active and passive suspensions. Despite the evident simplicity of the model, the insights obtained from this model have been found to have counterparts in half- and full-car suspension models. Among the most interesting results of the analysis of the quarter car are the relationships among certain transfer function and invariant points in the frequency response functions. These results are of great interest for the application of linear control techniques to the design of active suspensions and the optimisation of linearised passive suspensions. This paper attempts to show why some of the limitations implied by the model are less absolute than they at first seem.     

A review of dynamics modelling of friction wedge suspensions

Three-piece bogies with friction wedge suspensions are the most widely used bogies in heavy haul trains. Fiction wedge suspensions play a key role in these wagon systems. This article reviews current techniques in dynamic modelling of friction wedge suspension with various motivations: to improve dynamic models of friction wedge suspensions so as to improve general wagon dynamics simulations; to seek better friction wedge suspension models for wagon stability assessments in complex train systems; to improve the modelling of other friction devices, such as friction draft gear. Relevant theories and friction wedge suspension models developed by using commercial simulation packages and in-house simulation packages are reviewed.     

悬索桥吊索高阶涡激振动及摆锤式MTMD减振技术研究

为了解大跨度悬索桥吊索出现的大幅高频振动现象,并进行减振,以国内某主跨1688 m的悬索桥为背景(最长吊索长184.6 m),基于理论方法和施工期吊索大幅高频振动实测结果,分析吊索的振动类型及参数(频率、阻尼比);提出一种摆锤式多重调谐质量阻尼器(MTMD,其由一定形状的锤头提供质量参数,由钢绞线提供刚度及阻尼参数),采用有限元和室内试验的方法,分析其振动特性,并进行实桥验证。结果表明:该桥吊索振动频率范围为5~25 Hz,阻尼比低,单个吊点的多根吊索易发生同相位的高阶涡激振动;摆锤式MTMD单个锤头具有2个控制主频,自身阻尼比约10%,具有位移放大作用,对高频振动的响应灵敏,在很宽的频率范围内具有很好的减振性能;摆锤式MTMD可有效增加吊索自身阻尼比,控制吊索高阶涡激振动,实测减振效果达到90%以上,具有很好的实用性。     

Preview-Based Control of Suspension Systems for Commercial Vehicles

An active suspension with preview is developed for the rear axle of a commercial vehicle. The obtained improvements are promising and justify further investigation of the more feasible semi-active suspensions with preview. The inherent non-linearity of semi-active suspensions with switching shock absorbers and the need for controllers that can handle a broad class of control objectives has led to the development of several numerical control methods for both multi-level and continuously variable shock absorbers. The most promising control method and shock absorber type are selected and mounted in a test vehicle. Some first experimental results are discussed.     

Preview-Based Control of Suspension Systems for Commercial Vehicles

An active suspension with preview is developed for the rear axle of a commercial vehicle. The obtained improvements are promising and justify further investigation of the more feasible semi-active suspensions with preview. The inherent non-linearity of semi-active suspensions with switching shock absorbers and the need for controllers that can handle a broad class of control objectives has led to the development of several numerical control methods for both multi-level and continuously variable shock absorbers. The most promising control method and shock absorber type are selected and mounted in a test vehicle. Some first experimental results are discussed.