Design of a Stroke Dependent Damper for the Front Axle Suspension of a Truck Using Multibody System Dynamics and Numerical Optimization

Summary A stroke dependent damper is designed for the front axle suspension of a truck. The damper supplies extra damping for inward deflections rising above 4 cm. In this way the damper should reduce extreme suspension deflections without deteriorating the comfort of the truck. But the question is which stroke dependent damping curve yields the best compromise between suspension deflection working space and comfort. Therefore an optimization problem is defined to minimize the maximum inward suspension deflection subject to constraints on the chassis acceleration for three typical road undulations. The optimization problem is solved using sequential linear programming (SLP) and multibody dynamics simulation software. Several optimization runs have been carried out for a small two degree of freedom vehicle model and a large full-scale model of the truck semi-trailer combination. The results show that the stroke dependent damping can reduce large deflections at incidental road disturbances, but that the optimum stroke dependent damping curve is related to the acceleration bound. By means of vehicle model simulation and numerical optimization we have been able to quantify this trade-off between suspension deflection working space and truck comfort.     

软开关变流器的稳态分析(二)

讨论软开关变流器的稳态分析.由于分别由软开关变流器的Lr-Cr单元和大的L-C滤波器单元决定的快、慢固有频率的共存,通过启动瞬态仿真程序寻找软开关变流器的稳态解可能会造成繁琐的计算和收敛失败.由于采用了基于暂态分析的换相检测技术和基于补偿原理的换相分析技术,文章所提出的数值法显示了高可靠性和快速收敛性.对两个直流变换器、一台逆变器和一台功率因数补偿装置作的稳态分析,突出显示了仿真算法的良好性能.     

Analysis of the continuous berth allocation problem in container ports using a genetic algorithm

The optimal usage of berths plays a key role in raising the efficiency of container terminals. The berth allocation problem in a container terminal is defined as the feasible allocation of berths to incoming ships such that the total time that elapses between the arrival of the ships to their exit from their berths is minimized. In the transportation literature, the latter problem is usually formulated as a mixed integer programming model. Optimization methods, like the branch and bound algorithm, are efficient ways to solve this model but become absolutely unusable when the size of the problem increases. An advanced search method such as GA may be suited to such a situation. In this paper, a genetic-based algorithm is proposed for the problem. Computational results for two test problems (a small and a large-sized problem) are also presented. The results from the small test are also compared with the results obtained from the branch and bound algorithm.     

Optimization and Performance Enhancement of Active Suspensions for Automobiles under Preview of the Road

The problem of deriving control laws which minimize specified performance indices for a vehicle moving on a rough surface with preview of the surface elevation is considered. The approach is based on linear optimal tracking theory and consequently the system elements are taken to be linear and the performance index is constrained to be of quadratic form.

The ideas of overtaking optimality are applied to the problem in order to achieve a closed form solution for the control. Then, using the control laws derived, computer simulations of performance are conducted and time histories are shown. In the absence of limitations on either processing or actuator speeds, and for cases in which the preview is sufficient to give good control laws, the value of the preview in enhancing vehicle suspension performance is assessed. Comparisons are made with results in the literature.     

Probabilistic Fatigue Failure Analysis of a Railroad Freight Car

The critical components of railroad fraight cars are subjected to fluctuating stresses and, therefore, vulnerable to fatigue damage. These fluctuating stresses result from different motions of the car when it travels along a track and is subjected to various track irregularities. Both the track irregularities and corresponding motions are highly random. Therefore, the fatigue damage can only be determined by means of a percentage probability level. This paper describes a probability-based method for evaluating fatigue damage in a freight car. The effect of uncertain boundary conditions for the car in the calculations of fatigue damage is also discussed. The applications of the method to carbody design and assessment of fatigue life are also explained     

A Track-Wheel-Terrain Interaction Model for Dynamic Simulation of Tracked Vehicles

A mathematical model of track-wheel-terrain interaction is presented that supports the dynamic simulation of tracked vehicles. This model combines approximate and known constitutive laws for terrain response with a new representation for the track segment. The resulting track-wheel-terrain model allows the computation of the track tension and the normal and shear forces at the track-terrain interface as the track negotiates terrain of arbitrary profile. A key feature of this model is the uniform treatment of contact between the track and the roadwheels and the track and the terrain. Treating both contact problems in the same manner significantly simplifies the problem formulation and also reduces difficulties in computing points of track-wheel and track-terrain separation. The model takes the form of a two-point nonlinear boundary value problem that accounts for tension variations along the track (due to the non-uniformly distributed normal pressure and traction), track extensibility, and geometrically large (nonlinear) track deflections. Solutions are obtained using a finite element formulation. Both the model and the solution method are formulated for implementation within a multibody dynamics code for simulating full vehicles. Several examples illustrate the capabilities of the proposed model.     

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.