Performance Limitations and Constraints for Active and Passive Suspensions: a Mechanical Multi-port Approach

This paper develops a framework using mechanical multi-port networks to study the performance capabilities and constraints in vehicle suspensions. We seek to understand the set of dynamic responses which are achievable for both passive and active systems. To this end, we view a suspension system as a mechanical multi-port network and draw on concepts from electrical circuits such as passivity and reciprocity. We identify necessary conditions on the external behaviour of a quarter-car model for the suspension to be capable of passive realisation, and thereby establish that several behaviours or force laws cannot be implemented without an internal power source. We study the number of available degrees of freedom (i.e., independently specifiable impedances) in the quarter-, half- and full-car cases.     

Performance Benefits in Passive Vehicle Suspensions Employing Inerters

A new ideal mechanical one-port network element named the inerter was recently introduced, and shown to be realisable, with the property that the applied force is proportional to the relative acceleration across the element. This paper makes a comparative study of several simple passive suspension struts, each containing at most one damper and inerter as a preliminary investigation into the potential performance advantages of the element. Improved performance for several different measures in a quarter-car model is demonstrated here in comparison with a conventional passive suspension strut. A study of a full-car model is also undertaken where performance improvements are also shown in comparison to conventional passive suspension struts. A prototype inerter has been built and tested. Experimental results are presented which demonstrate a characteristic phase advance property which cannot be achieved with conventional passive struts consisting of springs and dampers only.     

Performance Benefits in Passive Vehicle Suspensions Employing Inerters

A new ideal mechanical one-port network element named the inerter was recently introduced, and shown to be realisable, with the property that the applied force is proportional to the relative acceleration across the element. This paper makes a comparative study of several simple passive suspension struts, each containing at most one damper and inerter as a preliminary investigation into the potential performance advantages of the element. Improved performance for several different measures in a quarter-car model is demonstrated here in comparison with a conventional passive suspension strut. A study of a full-car model is also undertaken where performance improvements are also shown in comparison to conventional passive suspension struts. A prototype inerter has been built and tested. Experimental results are presented which demonstrate a characteristic phase advance property which cannot be achieved with conventional passive struts consisting of springs and dampers only.     

国内外冻土区路基地温控制措施

冻土地温控制的基本措施可分为主动和被动两类,但对主动和被动措施如何准确划分,目前在国内外并不一致。国外普遍从能量的观点来进行划分,被动地温控制措施在运行期间不需人为提供动力,也没有任何持续运动的机械部件,是冻土地温控制最常用的技术,尤其是在大型工程中使用更为广泛;而主动地温控制措施,需要动力支持或温控系统中有持续运动的部件。两种措施最显著的区别在于对冻结过程的人为可控制性和是否提供能量消耗。     

多站点航运协调调度模型与算法

为了提高内河航运中船闸整体通过能力,基于单航向且每个站点仅考虑一个船闸的情况,对同一条河流上的多个站点,建立了多站点航运协调调度模型,并在目标函数中引入船闸服务水平等级因子,提出了相邻船闸间的耦合约束。依据苏北运河上船舶的概率统计信息,设计了仿真优化算法对模型进行求解。仿真结果显示,闸室平均面积利用率均高于80％,船舶平均等待时间均在3h以内,对应船闸服务水平达到二级。仿真结果表明了模型和算法的有效性。     

Method for obtaining the modal properties of articulated trains equipped with independently rotating wheels

Independently rotating wheels in railway vehicles could represent an alternative to standard technology as a solution to dynamic problems such as hunting instability or steering forces in curves. Among the proposed design solutions, the train with independently rotating wheels and with the most practical applications is that developed by Talgo. The Talgo technology is based on the use of a passive steering technique of the wheelset through a mechanism. The absence of automatic control systems means that a careful selection of the mechanical parameters of the vehicle is required to improve its dynamic characteristics. Aspects such as dynamic stability or the effect of vibration on passenger comfort could be analysed by extracting the modal properties of the train from mathematical models. In this article, a methodology for determining the low-frequency modal properties of articulated trains equipped with independently rotating wheels and passive steering system (Talgo-type) is proposed. The singularity of this application based on the use of non-conventional wheelsets necessarily involves the development of a specific methodology.     

Method for obtaining the modal properties of articulated trains equipped with independently rotating wheels

Independently rotating wheels in railway vehicles could represent an alternative to standard technology as a solution to dynamic problems such as hunting instability or steering forces in curves. Among the proposed design solutions, the train with independently rotating wheels and with the most practical applications is that developed by Talgo. The Talgo technology is based on the use of a passive steering technique of the wheelset through a mechanism. The absence of automatic control systems means that a careful selection of the mechanical parameters of the vehicle is required to improve its dynamic characteristics. Aspects such as dynamic stability or the effect of vibration on passenger comfort could be analysed by extracting the modal properties of the train from mathematical models. In this article, a methodology for determining the low-frequency modal properties of articulated trains equipped with independently rotating wheels and passive steering system (Talgo-type) is proposed. The singularity of this application based on the use of non-conventional wheelsets necessarily involves the development of a specific methodology.     

The performance improvements of train suspension systems with mechanical networks employing inerters

This paper investigates the performance benefits of train suspension systems employing a new mechanical network element called an inerter. An inerter is a true mechanical two-terminal element with the applied force proportional to the relative acceleration across the terminals. Until now, ideal inerters have been applied to car and motorcycle suspension systems, for which a significant performance improvement was reported. In this paper, we discuss the performance benefits of train suspension systems employing inerters. The study was carried out in three phases. First, fixed suspension structures were applied to train suspension systems, and optimised for two performance measures. Secondly, this optimisation was further carried out using linear matrix inequality approaches to discuss the achievable performance of passive networks. The resulting networks can then be realised by synthesis methods, such as the Brune and Bott–Duffin realisation. Finally, the nonlinear properties of inerter models and their impact on system performance were discussed. From the results, the inerter was deemed effective in improving the performance of train suspension systems.     

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.     

Actively controlled vehicle suspension with energy regeneration capabilities

The paper presents an innovative dual purpose automotive suspension topology, combining for the first time the active damping qualities with mechanical vibrations power regeneration capabilities. The new configuration consists of a linear generator as an actuator, a power processing stage based on a gyrator operating under sliding mode control and dynamics controllers. The researched design is simple and energetically efficient, enables an accurate force–velocity suspension characteristic control as well as energy regeneration control, with no practical implementation constraints imposed over the theoretical design. Active damping is based on Skyhook suspension control scheme, which enables overcoming the passive damping tradeoff between high- and low-frequency performance, improving both body isolation and the tire's road grip. The system-level design includes configuration of three system operation modes: passive, semi–active or fully active damping, all using the same electro-mechanical infrastructure, and each focusing on different objective: dynamics improvement or power regeneration. Conclusively, the innovative hybrid suspension is theoretically researched, practically designed and analysed, and proven to be feasible as well as profitable in the aspects of power regeneration, vehicle dynamics improvement and human health risks reduction.     

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.     

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.     

普通半挂牵引车驾驶室舒适性评价

由于传统半挂牵引车驾驶室采用的是半悬浮被动悬置,减振效果不好,对于经常进行中长途运输的半挂牵引车司机而言,连续较长时间的驾驶会使司机暴露于机械性全身振动(WBV)之中。由于目前还没有确凿的证据证明半挂牵引车司机的腰痛等职业病与全身振动有直接关联,故为探索有关驾驶半挂牵引车的健康风险程度进行了试验验证。对同一辆试验车在不同路面、载荷和车速的多工况下进行了研究,并将试验结果与标准GB/T 13441.1-2007附录B中的健康指南警告区域进行了对比。研究表明,在当前的行驶条件下,我国半挂牵引车司机每天的连续驾驶时间最多不应超过5.5 h。     

冲击动能作用下被动网变形解析解与数值模拟研究

针对被动柔性防护网结构的系统缓冲性能,从冲击变形控制机理分析系统冲击变形的影响因素;设计了优化的缓冲结构体系。分析发现:系统冲击能力主要由网片顶冲变形、支撑绳牵引拉伸、支撑结构变形构成。对被动柔性防护网系统采用非线性数值模拟,提取系统工作条件下各部分冲击变形分量,与解析分析结果对比,验证了冲击大变形解析方法的正确性。     

被动桩基现场试验研究现状与分析

被动桩受力性状的研究比主动桩复杂,一直是岩土工程关注的重点和难点问题。回顾了国内外被动桩现场试验的研究进展和现状,重点介绍了大面积堆载、桩基码头与岸坡作用、路基桥台填筑引起的被动桩在有无桩顶轴向荷载情况下的中性点位置和下拉荷载的变化,以及群桩的遮拦效应和土拱效应等方面的研究现状。对当前的研究现状进行简评,并对今后的研究方向进行了展望。     

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.     

超静定土工格栅凸节点极限被动摩阻力计算方法

筋土界面强度是决定加筋土结构承载力和稳定性的重要因素之一。诸多研究表明,在传统土工合成材料的基础上设计附加结构形成的超静定土工合成材料可以有效提升筋土界面强度。然而,不同形式的附加结构对筋土界面强度的增强机理仍有待开展进一步研究。为此,以一种带有凸起节点结构的高摩阻超静定土工格栅(HRHG)为研究对象,在考虑HRHG节点两侧土体抗剪强度的基础上,基于极限平衡状态下的对数螺旋曲线滑裂面假设,建立了HRHG节点在极限状态下与土相互作用的力学解析模型。针对HRHG节点在筋土相互作用中的极限被动摩阻力进行了理论分析,给出了极限状态下HRHG节点被动摩阻力的计算方法;同时利用自主研发的大型直剪仪,在不同法向压力(30、50、80 kPa)下开展了以HRHG和普通双向格栅为研究对象,以低液限粉土为回填土的筋土直剪试验。试验结果对比表明：HRHG节点将筋土界面表观黏聚力和界面摩擦角分别提高了35.6%和14.3%,说明HRHG节点可以有效地提高筋土界面剪切强度。通过对比试验结果与理论推导结果,验证了所提出的极限状态下HRHG节点被动摩阻力计算方法的有效性,并进一步对计算方法进行了修正,以期为HRHG...     

交通/水工隧道中基于预应力锚固系统的及时主动支护理念及其技术实现

为实现新奥法充分调动围岩承载能力这一核心理念,能够实现及时主动支护的锚固体系是关键。基于此,从及时主动支护技术的内涵及作用机理分析入手,对预应力构件及早施加主动支护阻力,以增强岩体自承载能力,从而实现变形控制的作用机理进行了阐述;以滇中引水工程楚雄段柳家村隧洞为依托,对比分析了主、被动支护作用效应,验证了主动支护对于围岩位移及塑性区发展的有效控制;针对具有长期服役要求的交通/水工隧道,结合不同岩体状况,提出为实现及时主动支护,在一般岩体中建议采用端头机械锚固+自由段水泥砂浆锚固的锚固形式,在软弱破碎岩体中则建议采用端头树脂锚固+自由段水泥砂浆锚固的锚固形式。上述2种锚固形式一方面通过临时性端锚及早施加预应力以实现及时主动支护,另一方面在洞室变形基本稳定后进行后期注浆,在有效防止预应力损失的同时,使得锚固体系具有良好的耐久性,为基于预应力锚固体系的及时主动支护理念在交通/水工隧道工程中的成功应用奠定了坚实的基础。     

Vehicle suspensions with a mechatronic network strut

This paper applies a novel mechatronic network strut to vehicle suspensions and discusses the benefits of system performance. The proposed mechatronic strut consists of a ball-screw inerter and permanent magnet electric machinery, such that the system impedance can be realised through a combination of mechanical and electrical networks. Applying the mechatronic strut to vehicle suspensions, we evaluate the improvement of system performance using passive electrical networks. Furthermore, a prototype mechatronic strut is constructed for properties verification. Finally, nonlinearities of the mechatronic strut are taken into account to modify the suspension design. From the simulation and experimental results, the proposed mechatronic network strut is shown to be effective.     

Performance of spade-less wheeled military vehicles with passive and semi-active suspensions during mortar firing

Many armies are replacing heavy slow tracked vehicles with their lighter wheeled counterparts for their high mobility and better shoot and scoot capabilities. These features make the vehicle hard to track and target in counter-battery fire. However, when firing high calibre guns, spades are needed to connect the vehicle chassis to the ground, so as to transmit parts of the large firing force directly to the ground. Use of spades hinders the vehicle mobility, while elimination of them paves the way for having quicker and more mobile wheeled vehicles. In this article, vibration response of a spade-less High Mobility Multi-purpose Wheeled Vehicle with a mounted mortar is studied and controlled using stock passive, optimised passive, and optimised semi-active dampers as primary suspensions. The spade-less vehicle with optimised passive and semi-active dampers has a better response in heave, pitch, and fore-aft motions and can fire with better accuracy compared to a spade-less vehicle with stock passive dampers. Simulation results indicate that the spades can be removed from wheeled military vehicles if the precautions are taken for the tyres.