Dynamics of Tracked Vehicles

This paper provides a brief review of the state-of-the-art of tracked vehicle dynamics, including mobility over soft terrain, ride dynamics over rough surfaces and manoeuvrability. It is found that considerable progress has been made in the development of analytical frameworks for evaluating and predicting tracked vehicle mobility over soft terrain, taking into account the characteristics of terrain response to normal and shear loading. Certain computer simulation models for tracked vehicle mobility have been gaining increasingly wide acceptance by industry and governmental agencies in product development and in procurement. It is also found that most of the research on tracked vehicle ride dynamics and manoeuvrability is confined to operations on rigid surfaces. To achieve a realistic evaluation and prediction of the dynamic behaviour of tracked vehicles in the field, the key is to have a better understanding of terrain response to dynamic vehicular loading, including its dynamic stiffness and damping. Challenges that face vehicle dynamicists in this emerging field are identified.     

Dynamics of Tracked Vehicles

SUMMARY

This paper provides a brief review of the state-of-the-art of tracked vehicle dynamics, including mobility over soft terrain, ride dynamics over rough surfaces and manoeuvrability. It is found that considerable progress has been made in the development of analytical frameworks for evaluating and predicting tracked vehicle mobility over soft terrain, taking into account the characteristics of terrain response to normal and shear loading. Certain computer simulation models for tracked vehicle mobility have been gaining increasingly wide acceptance by industry and governmental agencies in product development and in procurement. It is also found that most of the research on tracked vehicle ride dynamics and manoeuvrability is confined to operations on rigid surfaces. To achieve a realistic evaluation and prediction of the dynamic behaviour of tracked vehicles in the field, the key is to have a better understanding of terrain response to dynamic vehicular loading, including its dynamic stiffness and damping. Challenges that face vehicle dynamicists in this emerging field are identified.     

An investigation into the effect of suspension configurations on the performance of tracked vehicles traversing bump terrains

This is a theoretical investigation into the effect of various suspension configurations on a tracked vehicle performance over bump terrains. The model developed is validated using published experimental data of the modal characteristics of the vehicle. The desired performance is based on ride comfort via the mixed objective function (MOF), which combines the crest factor of bounce acceleration, bounce displacement, angular acceleration, and pitch angle. The optimisation process involves evaluating the MOF for different numbers and locations of dampers and under different rigid bump road conditions and speeds. The system responses of the selected suspension configurations in the time and frequency domains are compared against the undamped suspension. The results show that the suspension configurations have a significant effect on the vehicle mobility over bump road profiles. For a five-road–wheel half model of a tracked vehicle, the maximum number of dampers to use for ride comfort over these road bumps is three with the dampers located at wheel positions 1, 2 and 5. This confirms the current practice for many tracked vehicles with 10 road wheels. However, it is further shown that the suspension fitted with two dampers at the extreme road wheels offer the best performance over various rigid bump terrains.     

Effects of rail thermal stress on the dynamic response of vehicle and track

A new method is proposed to obtain the dynamic responses of the vehicle–track coupling system under the conditions of rail thermal stress changes in high-speed railways. Exact models are established with different rail longitudinal forces, in which multibody dynamic models are used for vehicles and the direct stiffness method for structures. In order to provide a general, simple and flexible formulation to express longitudinal stress distribution, the accurate model of long slab track consists of many small units with parameters which can be initialised separately. The exact analytical equation of track frequency and modal function was obtained by the transition matrix method, which can be used in calculating the dynamic response of wheel–rail coupling model. The proposed model is verified through comparisons with other classical solutions. Under the influence of train velocities and track irregularities, the specific vibration performances that frequency shifted and amplitude peak enhanced with thermal force are demonstrated through examples. The results show that the response analyses of vehicle and track have great application potentiality for fast estimation of the rail longitudinal stress.     

Road disturbance estimation for the optimal preview control of an active suspension systems based on tracked vehicle model

This research investigates stochastic estimation of a look-ahead sensor scheme using the optimal preview control for an active suspension system of a full tracked vehicle (FTV). In this scheme, wheel disturbance input to the front wheels are estimated using the dynamic equations of the system. The estimated road disturbance input at the front wheels are utilized as preview information for the control of subsequently following wheels of FTV. The design of optimal preview control is used as a classical linear quadratic Gaussian problem by combining dynamics of the original system and estimation of previewed road inputs. The effectiveness of the preview controller is evaluated by comparing the estimated information with the measured information for different road profiles, where Kalman filter is used for the state-variables estimation of the FTV. This research also considers the reduced order estimation using commonly available sensors in order to decrease the number of sensors and measurements. The simulation results’ using an active suspension system with different preview information shows that the proposed system can be beneficial for the improvement of ride comfort of tracked vehicles without using any specialized sensors for preview information calculation.     

The effect of worn profile on wear progress of rail vehicle steel wheels over curved tracks

Dynamic performance, safety and maintenance costs of railway vehicles strongly depend on wheelset dynamics and particularly on the design of wheelset profile. This paper considers the effect of worn wheel profile on vehicle dynamics and the trend of wear in the wheels as a result of the vehicle movements. ADAMS/RAIL is used to build a multi-body system model of the vehicle. The track model is also configured as an elastic body. Measured new and worn wheel profiles are used to provide boundary conditions for the wheel/rail contacts. The fleet velocity profile taken during its normal braking is also used for the simulation. Wear numbers are calculated for different sets of wheels and the results compared with each other. Outcome of this research can be used for modifying dynamic performance of the vehicle, improving its suspension elements and increasing ride quality. It can also be further processed to reach to a modified wheel profile suitable for the fleet/track combination and for improved maintenance of the wheels. A major advantage of the computer models in this paper is the insertion of the wheel surface properties into the boundary conditions for dynamic modelling of the fleet. This is performed by regularly measuring the worn wheel profiles during their service life and by the calculation of the wear rate for individual wheels.     

基于神经网络的轻型客车悬架参数的优化

应用四轮相关的时域路面随机输入模型的不平度时间序列，对轻型客车的八自由度非线性平顺性模型进行了分析研究，并将计算出的平顺性指标作为输入，以径向基函数神经网络对后悬架参数进行了优化计算。算法准确，合理，为平顺性的进一步研究提供了新的方法。     

A Pitch-Plane Model of a Vehicle with Controlled Suspension

A vehicle model incorporating front and rear wheel suspensions and seat suspension is presented. The suspension control includes algorithms to provide both dynamic and steady state (levelling) control. Vehicle response to (a) vertical inputs due to ground disturbances at the wheels and (b) longitudinal inputs due to the inertial forces during braking and accelerating, are investigated. It is shown that the static (self-levelling) control causes a slight deterioration in dynamic performance. The active ride control produces improvements of ride comfort under dynamic conditions compared to an equivalent passively suspended vehicle. In steady state the proposed control eliminates the error heave of the body caused by tilting of the vehicle with active suspension.     

Ride Dynamics of High-Speed Tracked Vehicles: Simulation with Field Validation

SUMMARY

Ride dynamic behaviour of a typical high-speed tracked vehicle, such as a conventional military armoured personnel carrier (APC) negotiating rough off-road terrains, is studied through computer simulations and field tests. A comprehensive ride dynamic simulation model is developed, assuming constant forward vehicle speed and non-deformable terrain profile. The ride model includes dynamic track load and wheel/track-terrain interaction. Dynamic track load is modeled in view of track belt stretching and initial track tension, whereas an equivalent damper and continuous radial spring formulation is employed to model wheel/track-terrain interaction. Field testing of a APC subjected to discrete half round obstacles of various radii, a sinusoidal course, a random course, and a Belgian Pave\ is carried out for various vehicle configurations and speeds. Computer simulation results are validated against field measured results. The comparison of measured and predicted results shows generally good agreement.     

汽车主动悬架的单神经元自适应控制

在1/4汽车动力学模型的基础上,设计了汽车主动悬架的自适应神经元控制器。以车辆的行驶平顺性为主要控制目标,车身垂直加速度、悬架动挠度、车轮动位移为具体评价参数,研究了系统在随机路面激励条件下的时域响应,计算了振动响应的均方根值,考察了在变参数条件下控制器的鲁棒性。仿真结果表明,该控制器能有效改善车辆的综合性能,尤其是平顺性和舒适性,并且具有较好的鲁棒性,对模型参数的变化有一定的适应性。     

智能汽车自动紧急转向避撞的跟踪控制方法对比研究

为了提高智能汽车的主动安全性,提出3种不同的自动紧急转向避撞跟踪控制方法。首先建立汽车避撞简化模型,对制动、转向及两者相结合的3种不同避撞方式进行对比分析。其次,为深入研究汽车避撞过程中的实际响应,建立包含转向、制动及悬架3个子系统耦合特性的底盘18自由度统一动力学模型,并进行相关试验验证。随后构建智能汽车自动紧急转向避撞控制框架,对五次多项式参考路径和七次多项式参考路径的横摆角速度和横摆角加速度进行对比分析。接着以线性2自由度转向动力学模型为参考对象,对最优控制四轮转向、最优控制前轮转向、前馈与反馈控制相结合的前轮转向3种不同的跟踪控制系统分别进行设计。最后,以汽车底盘18自由度统一动力学模型为研究对象,对上述3种避撞控制系统进行仿真试验对比分析。研究结果表明：与制动避撞相比而言,转向避撞所需的纵向距离有较大降低,随着车速的增加和路面附着系数的越低,效果越明显;七次多项式参考路径比五次多项式参考路径的避撞过渡过程更为平缓,当实际车速与控制器所用车速不一致时,前者避撞性能表现更优;最优四轮转向控制系统在高、低2种不同附着路面都具有较好的避撞效果,最优前轮转向控制系统次之,而前馈与反馈相结合的前轮转向控制系统在低附着路面上则表现出严重的失稳。     

用于公路车-桥系统振动分析的精细化轮胎模型

为了解决当前公路车桥耦合振动模型中轮胎模型过于简化、车轮-路面接触力与桥梁响应计算结果不够精确的问题,提出了一种精细化轮胎模型.首先基于车辆橡胶轮胎的几何、力学特征,建立了径向弹簧力学模型并进行了理论推导;然后考虑轮胎与路面接触面的刚度分布特征和高速状况下轮胎的惯性力,提出了轮胎接触面分布刚度的计算方法,保证了轮胎接触...     

Design and validation of a slender guideway for Maglev vehicle by simulation and experiment

Normally, Maglev (magnetic levitation) vehicles run on elevated guideways. The elevated guideway must satisfy various load conditions of the vehicle, and has to be designed to ensure ride quality, while ensuring that the levitation stability of the vehicle is not affected by the deflection of the guideway. However, because the elevated guideways of Maglev vehicles in South Korea and other countries fabricated so far have been based on over-conservative design criteria, the size of the structures has increased. Further, from the cost perspective, they are unfavourable when compared with other light rail transits such as monorail, rubber wheel, and steel wheel automatic guided transit. Therefore, a slender guideway that does have an adverse effect on the levitation stability of the vehicle is required through optimisation of design criteria. In this study, to predict the effect of various design parameters of the guideway on the dynamic behaviour of the vehicle, simulations were carried out using a dynamics model similar to the actual vehicle and guideway, and a limiting value of deflection ratio of the slender guideway to ensure levitation control is proposed. A guideway that meets the requirement as per the proposed limit for deflection ratio was designed and fabricated, and through a driving test of the vehicle, the validity of the slender guideway was verified. From the results, it was confirmed that although some increase in airgap and cabin acceleration was observed with the proposed slender guideway when compared with the conventional guideway, there was no notable adverse effect on the levitation stability and ride quality of the vehicle. Therefore, it can be inferred that the results of this study will become the basis for establishing design criteria for slender guideways of Maglev vehicles in future.     

中国公路车-桥耦合振动车辆模型研究（双语出版）

为了提出适用于中国车-桥耦合振动分析的车辆动力分析模型,首先基于中国桥梁规范中的设计车辆荷载,结合大量调查统计数据和等效静力分析方法,初步拟定车辆动力分析模型的几何尺寸、质量、刚度、阻尼等参数取值,并与国内外广泛采用的几种车辆模型的参数取值进行对比。接着选取4座钢筋混凝土简支梁桥并建立其三维有限元模型,基于车-桥耦合振动数值模拟分析车辆模型的刚度、阻尼等参数对桥梁上动力冲击系数的影响,并对比几个不同车辆模型对动力冲击系数的影响。最后,选择中国湖南省境内一座实桥和几辆不同轴数的重车开展实桥试验,将实测动力冲击系数与所提车辆模型数值模拟获得的冲击系数进行对比。结果表明：动力冲击系数随车辆总质量的增大而减小,随车辆整体刚度的增大而增大,但随车辆整体阻尼的增大呈先减小后增大的趋势;单个车轴的刚度和阻尼对动力冲击系数的影响不明显;车辆总质量是导致不同车辆模型作用下动力冲击系数差异的主要因素;数值模拟结果与实测结果吻合良好,验证了所提车辆模型及参数取值的合理性;该车辆模型可用于中国的设计车辆荷载作用下桥梁的动力响应分析和相关研究,也可用于估算重量相当的不同类型车辆对桥梁的动力冲击效应。     

Preview suspension control for a full tracked vehicle

In this study, preview control algorithms for the active and semi-active suspension systems of a full tracked vehicle (FTV) are designed based on a 3-D.O.F model and evaluated. The main issue of this study is to make the ride comfort characteristics of a fast moving tracked vehicle better to keep an operator’s driving capability. Since road wheels almost trace the profiles of the road surface as long as the track doesn’t depart from the ground, the preview information can be obtained by measuring only the absolute position or velocity of the first road wheel. Simulation results show that the performance of the sky-hook suspension system almost follows that of full state feedback suspension system and the on-off semi-active system carries out remarkable performance with the combination of 12 on-off semi-active suspension units. The results simulated with 1^st and 2^nd weighting sets mean that the suspension system combined with the soft type of inner suspension and hard type of outer suspension can carry out better ride comfort characteristics than that with identical suspensions. The full tracked vehicle (FTV) system is uncontrollable and the system is split into controllable and uncontrollable subspace using singular value decomposition transformation. Frequency response curves to four types of inputs, such as heaving, pitching, rolling, and warping inputs, also demonstrate the merits of preview control in ride comfort. All the frequency characteristic responses confirm the continuous time results.     

Lateral dynamics of single unit skid-steered tracked vehicle

In the design and development of high-speed tracked vehicles, it is necessary to have an understanding of the interrelationship between the terrain factors and the vehicle characteristics during steering. The handling behavior of skid-steered tracked vehicles is more complex than that of wheeled vehicles because of non-linear characteristics arising from the sliding interface between the track and the ground. In the present work, a five degree-of-freedom (DOF) steering model of a tracked vehicle is developed, and the handling behavior during non-stationary motion is studied when operating at high and low speeds. It is demonstrated that the inclusion of roll and pitch DOF changes the steering response when compared to the response from three DOF models proposed earlier by several researchers. This is due to the strong coupling between the pitch and yaw motions. The effect of the initial forward velocities on the trajectory of the vehicle during non-stationary motion is also studied. It is observed from the results that the stability is influenced by the type of steering input, steering ratio and vehicle forward speed.     

电动轮驱动-转向集成结构设计

目前最常用的电动轮--轮毂电机驱动型电动轮是在电动轮内安装轮毂电机,这将增加电动车的簧下质量,从而降低悬架响应的敏感度;汽车重心发生改变,汽车转向定位参数、制动滑移率的控制参数等都会发生改变,对车辆的平顺性和乘坐舒适性带来不利的影响。针对这些问题,文章设计出驱动-转向一体化的电动轮,将轮毂电机、轮内悬架、转向电机、电机悬挂装置和轮毂集成在车轮上,有效提高电动轮汽车的性能。     

无人驾驶汽车路径跟踪控制方法拟人程度研究

无人驾驶汽车路径跟踪控制是无人驾驶汽车运动控制的核心所在,目前常用的路径跟踪模型主要以路径跟踪精度为主要控制目标,在很大程度上忽略了无人驾驶汽车的乘坐舒适性和控制的拟人程度。为了研究无人驾驶汽车路径跟踪控制算法的拟人程度并提高乘坐舒适性,基于转向几何学、汽车运动学和汽车动力学理论建立实车中常用的4种路径跟踪模型,提出以路径跟踪过程中的最大横向加速度a_ymax和方向盘转角平方和δ_w²共同表征路径跟踪模型的拟人程度和横向乘坐舒适性。基于驾驶人实车换道试验数据,建立多项式拟人换道参考路径,搭建CarSim/Simulink联合仿真模型,并对其进行不同车速下的车辆换道试验。研究结果表明：路径跟踪模型的横向循迹偏差均会随着车速的提高而增加,但都能较好实现路径跟踪;带预瞄路径跟踪模型和动力学前馈最优LQR路径跟踪模型拟人程度较好;汽车运动学路径跟踪模型的乘坐舒适性最差,方向盘修正激烈;在100 km·h^-1,a_ymax>0.7 m·s^-2,δ_w²>2.7×10³时,拟人程度最差;不带预瞄路径跟踪模型循迹精度最高,且拟人程度最高,乘坐舒适性最好,120 km·h^-1时,a_ymax ≤ 0.5 m·s^-2。     

Comparison of Ride Comfort Criteria for Computer Optimization of Vehicles Travelling on Randomly Profiled Roads

This paper discusses and compares some ride comfort criteria which may be suitable for randomly vibrating vehicles. The criteria consider single-figure measures based on response mean square spectral densities for plane linear combined vehicle-passenger models. Eight different measures divided into three groups are studied. The two vehicle suspension damper stiffnesses are numerically optimized with respect to the eight measures of ride comfort. The results are compared and discussed. Two optimizations with respect to five vehicle parameters are also reported.     

汽车ACC跟随控制策略研究

提出了ACC车辆与前车之间的速度一位移关系以及分别以车距控制和相对车速控制为目标的2种LQR模型，并根据两车的速度一位移关系的不同实现2种模型之间的转换，以生成符合驾驶员操作行为的ACC车辆控制目标，建立了实现控制目标的车速控制模型。仿真计算表明控制策略满足乘坐舒适性和保持安全车距的要求。