A semi-active vehicle suspension based on pneumatic springs and magnetorheological dampers

2016 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 808-821 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angel L Morales ◽  
Antonio J Nieto ◽  
José M Chicharro ◽  
Publio Pintado
Keyword(s):  
Ride Comfort ◽  
Balance Control ◽  
Magnetorheological Damper ◽  
Pneumatic System ◽  
Magnetorheological Dampers ◽  
International Roughness Index ◽  
The Road ◽  
Pneumatic Suspension ◽  
Gps System ◽  
Curve Radius

Semi-active and active suspensions can improve both ride comfort and handling compared to passive suspensions. The authors have proposed a suspension comprising a pneumatic system capable of changing the stiffness of the suspension and a semi-active magnetorheological damper capable of controlling the suspension damping. Eight configurations of this magnetorheological/pneumatic suspension result from combining two possible stiffnesses (compliant and stiff) and four possible means of producing damping (constant low, constant high, on-off skyhook control and on-off balance control). The minimization of a cost function, which considers both ride comfort and handling, leads to decision maps which indicate the most appropriate configuration depending on vehicle velocity and two pieces of information about the road: the international roughness index and the curve radius. All this information can be gathered from a GPS system and toggling between set-ups is fast, efficient, and easily done by simply opening or closing pipes in the pneumatic system and modifying the current supply in the magnetorheological dampers. The proposed magnetorheological/pneumatic suspension achieves the same roll angle levels as in a comparable passive vehicle while improving ride comfort by reducing acceleration by up to 30%.

scholarly journals Experimental attenuation and evaluation of whole body vibration for an off-road vehicle with magnetorheological dampers

2018 ◽  
Vol 38 (2) ◽  
pp. 852-870 ◽  
Author(s):  
Piotr Krauze ◽  
Jerzy Kasprzyk ◽  
Jaroslaw Rzepecki
Keyword(s):  
Ride Comfort ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Harmonic Excitation ◽  
Magnetorheological Damper ◽  
Vehicle Body ◽  
Whole Body ◽  
Magnetorheological Dampers ◽  
Passive Suspension ◽  
The Road ◽  
Damper Control

The paper presents an analysis of vehicle vibration, ride comfort and handling which have a decisive influence on health and safety of a driver. Experiments were carried out for a commercially available experimental all-terrain vehicle in the field in hard conditions with retaining the sufficient repeatability. The vehicle is equipped with a complex vibration control system, taking advantage of four automotive magnetorheological dampers. Numerous sensors, which measure acceleration in four points of the vehicle body, near the driver’s seat, feet and hands, body orientation in space and speed of vehicle wheels, are available in the vehicle. They were used for evaluation of magnetorheological dampers’ control signals and analysis of vibration affecting the driver. Constant values of magnetorheological damper control current were used for emulation of different settings of passive suspension. The analysis performed in frequency domain showed how vibration propagates in a medium-sized all-terrain vehicle and indicated that driver’s hands are mostly affected by the road-induced vibration. It was also confirmed that the greatest improvement of ride comfort can be obtained for the soft suspension, i.e. uncontrolled magnetorheological dampers. Furthermore, the Skyhook algorithm was implemented, including the proportional control of the magnetorheological damper force and the inverse Tanh model of the magnetorheological damper. It was validated for the wideband road-induced excitation contrary to the experiments commonly presented in the literature, which are performed only for harmonic excitation. It was shown that the properly tuned Skyhook algorithm enables improving vehicle handling compared to the passive suspension and simultaneously it can maintain the similar or even better results of ride comfort.

Self-powered magnetorheological dampers for motorcycle suspensions

2017 ◽  
Vol 232 (7) ◽  
pp. 921-935 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chao Chen ◽  
Yu Shing Chan ◽  
Li Zou ◽  
Wei-Hsin Liao
Keyword(s):  
Laboratory Testing ◽  
Ride Comfort ◽  
Mechanical Energy ◽  
The Self ◽  
Magnetorheological Damper ◽  
System Level ◽  
Magnetorheological Dampers ◽  
Suspension Systems ◽  
Magnetorheological Suspension ◽  
Self Powered

Dampers are the parts of suspensions which improve the ride comfort and the safety of vehicles including motorcycles. Magnetorheological dampers are very attractive for motorcycle suspensions, because of their controllable properties and their fast responses. Considerable energy is wasted owing to the energy dissipation by dampers encountering road irregularities and accelerating processes during everyday use of motorcycles. In addition, the current magnetorheological suspension systems depend on the power supply of batteries. Therefore, in this paper, a self-powered magnetorheological damper for motorcycle suspensions is proposed and implemented for the first time. It can convert the wasted mechanical energy into useful electrical energy to power itself. There are great merits in this such as energy saving, independence of extra batteries and less maintenance in comparison with conventional magnetorheological suspension systems, while keeping controllable performances. A customized prototype of the self-powered magnetorheological damper that is compatible with a motorcycle is developed and actually implemented in a motorcycle. Modelling for the self-powered magnetorheological damper is developed and validated by laboratory testing. Laboratory testing showed that the self-powered feature works well to generate the electrical power and to vary the magnetorheological damping force. Preliminary system-level testing showed that a self-powered magnetorheological suspension results in a better ride comfort, compared with that of a magnetorheological suspension without power generation. The results showed that implementing self-powered magnetorheological dampers in motorcycle suspensions is feasible and beneficial.

scholarly journals Experimental analysis of vibration control algorithms applied for an off-road vehicle with magnetorheological dampers

2018 ◽  
Vol 37 (3) ◽  
pp. 619-639 ◽  
Author(s):  
Piotr Krauze ◽  
Jerzy Kasprzyk ◽  
Andrzej Kozyra ◽  
Jaroslaw Rzepecki
Keyword(s):  
Control System ◽  
Vibration Control ◽  
Experimental Analysis ◽  
Ride Comfort ◽  
Inverse Model ◽  
Velocity Estimation ◽  
Magnetorheological Damper ◽  
Control Algorithms ◽  
Magnetorheological Dampers ◽  
Road Vehicle

The paper presents an experimental analysis of the selected feedback vibration control schemes dedicated to magnetorheological dampers, related to ride comfort and road holding. They were applied in a complex vibration control system installed in a commercially available off-road vehicle. Original shock-absorbers of the vehicle were replaced with magnetorheological dampers. The control system takes advantage of numerous sensors installed in the vehicle tracking its motion, i.e. accelerometers, suspension deflection sensors (linear variable differential transformer) and IMU module. Vibration control algorithms: Skyhook, PI, and Groundhook were tested experimentally using mechanical exciters adapted for diagnosis of a vehicle suspension system. Since the presented semi-active vibration control requires the magnetorheological damper inverse model to be applied, accurate operation of this model significantly influences the quality of vibration control. Therefore, additional analysis was related to application of measurements from accelerometers or suspension deflection sensors in the inverse model. Presented variants of control algorithms were compared by means of transmissibility characteristics evaluated in the frequency domain as well as using ride-comfort- and driving-safety-related quality indices. It was confirmed that the Skyhook control as well as PI improved ride comfort, whereas Groundhook control improved road holding and decreases vibration of the wheels. Furthermore, it was shown that both approaches to the relative velocity estimation, based on accelerometers and linear variable differential transformers, can be used in this application. However, the first solution gives better results in the case of the Skyhook and PI control, whereas application of LVDT sensors is better for the Groundhook algorithm.

scholarly journals A Study on the Roads Flatness Using International Roughness Index in New Taipei City

2022 ◽  
Vol 2160 (1) ◽  
pp. 012035
Author(s):  
Chun Lin ◽  
Shong Loong Chen ◽  
Chaowei Tang ◽  
Hsin Ang Hsieh
Keyword(s):  
Field Survey ◽  
Ride Comfort ◽  
Quality And Safety ◽  
International Roughness Index ◽  
Statistical Comparison ◽  
The Road ◽  
Roughness Index ◽  
Taipei City ◽  
The Subject

Abstract The quality of roads is an indicator of urban progress. The development of tourism and economy contributes to the increasing demands for transportation and, thus, aggravated burdens and vulnerability to damage of these roads, and the result is compromised transportation quality and safety. The Road Leveling Project is aimed to road updates and improvement of pavement quality. New Taipei City was selected as the subject for this study. International roughness index (IRI) was selected for field survey and statistical comparison. The outcome indicated that the IRI spread between 3.5 and 6.5 m/km before road leveling with an average of 4.71 m/km; the index fell between 2.5 and 4.5 m/km after road leveling with an average of 3.12m/km, suggesting that the IRI of the tested road sections showed a declining trend. For multi-lane road sections tested, the improvement was greater on the outer lanes than on the inner lanes. This proves that the implementation of the Road Leveling Project has made significant improvement in terms of pavement flatness. Suggestions are proposed in this study for the subsequent management and improvement polices of the Road Leveling Project, hoping that the pavement quality improvement continues to contribute to the extension of road service life and ride comfort.

Design and test of hydro-pneumatic ISD suspension in heavy multi-axle vehicles

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. 168781402110647
Author(s):  
Jiamei Nie ◽  
Fengli Wang ◽  
Xiaoliang Zhang ◽  
Yongjie Yang
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Algorithm ◽  
Ride Comfort ◽  
Structural Parameters ◽  
Performance Comparison ◽  
Test Results ◽  
The Road ◽  
Paper Machines ◽  
Pneumatic Suspension ◽  
Suspension Structure ◽  
Unsprung Mass

Aiming to improve the road friendliness so as to reduce the road damage caused by heavy multi-axle vehicles, and to enhance the ride comfort, we propose a kind of hydro-pneumatic ISD suspension structure, which is equivalent to a two-stage ISD structure integrating a traditional hydro-pneumatic suspension and a fluid inerter. Firstly, based on the 1/4 model, a genetic algorithm is used to optimize the key structural parameters of hydro-pneumatic ISD suspension. Secondly, the AMESim dynamic model of heavy multi-axle vehicles is built for the performance comparison between the traditional hydraulic and hydro-pneumatic ISD suspensions. Finally, this paper machines a hydro-pneumatic ISD suspension to replace the traditional hydraulic one in a heavy multi-axle vehicle to carry out a road test. Test results indicate that the proposed suspension can effectively restrain the vibrations of sprung and unsprung mass and improve ride comfort as well as road friendliness. The hydro-pneumatic ISD suspension can be applied to engineering.

The Time Domain Simulation of Non-Stationary Road Roughness

2013 ◽  
Vol 423-426 ◽  
pp. 1238-1242
Author(s):  
Hao Wang ◽  
Xiao Mei Shi
Keyword(s):  
Power Spectrum ◽  
Time Domain ◽  
Ride Comfort ◽  
Time History ◽  
Random Excitation ◽  
Power Spectrum Density ◽  
The Road ◽  
Road Roughness ◽  
Spectrum Density ◽  
History Of

The input of road roughness, which affects the ride comfort and the handling stability of vehicle, is the main excitation for the running vehicle. The time history of the road roughness was researched with the random phases, based on the stationary power spectrum density of the road roughness determined by the standards. Through the inverse Fourier transform, the random phases can be used to get the road roughness in time domain, together with the amplitude. Then, the time domain simulation of the non-stationary random excitation when the vehicle ran at the changing speed, would also be studied based on the random phases. It is proved that the random road excitation for the vehicle with the changing speed is stationary modulated evolution random excitation, and its power spectrum density is the stationary modulated evolutionary power spectrum density. And the numerical results for the time history of the non-stationary random inputs were also provided. The time history of the non-stationary random road can be used to evaluate the ride comfort of the vehicle which is running at the changing speed.

scholarly journals Prototype of a magnetorheological damper

2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (12) ◽  
pp. 229-232
Author(s):  
Paweł Skalski
Keyword(s):  
State Of The Art ◽  
The State ◽  
Magnetorheological Damper ◽  
Patent Office ◽  
Magnetorheological Dampers ◽  
Magnetorheological Elastomer ◽  
New Construction

Paper discussed the State of the Art focused on magnetorheological dampers. Then the new construction solution of a damper with a magnetorheological elastomer was presented. The magnetorheological damper was designed in the Institute of Aviation and was intellectually protected in the Polish Patent Office. The article ends with conclusions.

scholarly journals Mathematical Modelling of Two-Wheeler Suspension system in a wavy road

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (11) ◽  
pp. 3630-3635
Keyword(s):  
Ride Comfort ◽  
Health Hazard ◽  
Suspension System ◽  
Vehicle Body ◽  
Continuous Exposure ◽  
Potential Health ◽  
Suspension Spring ◽  
The Road ◽  
Potential Health Hazard ◽  
Two Wheeler

Two wheelers like motorbikes and scooters are one of the major transports in India. In major cities and towns, it is most common private transport as it is fast and easy approach to the destination. But the prolonged drive in the two-wheeler leads to the potential health hazard and musco-skeletal disorder due to continuous exposure to the vibration caused during the ride and force transmitted to the vehicle body due to road irregularities. It is a challenge of automobile engineers to design a promising suspension system to overcome the risk of ride comfort during continuous driving. In this research, two-wheeler suspension system is modelled with a condition of bump and valley in a wavy road. The road surface is assumed to be wavy and the response of new suspension spring with different materials (stainless steel, tungsten and polymeric) along with viscous damper is analyzed and compared. By this analysis, it will be proposed to industry to modify the suspension system to improve its efficiency and reduce force transmitted to the human body to improve the ride comfort

Influence of the road profile accuracy on disturbance compensation in active suspension systems

2021 ◽  
Vol 69 (6) ◽  
pp. 485-498
Author(s):  
Felix Anhalt ◽  
Boris Lohmann
Keyword(s):  
Ride Comfort ◽  
Feedforward Control ◽  
Active Suspension ◽  
Disturbance Compensation ◽  
Critical Factors ◽  
The Road ◽  
Suspension Systems ◽  
Active Suspension Systems ◽  
Road Profile ◽  
Profile Accuracy

Abstract By applying disturbance feedforward control in active suspension systems, knowledge of the road profile can be used to increase ride comfort and safety. As the assumed road profile will never match the real one perfectly, we examine the performance of different disturbance compensators under various deteriorations of the assumed road profile using both synthetic and measured profiles and two quarter vehicle models of different complexity. While a generally valid statement on the maximum tolerable deterioration cannot be made, we identify particularly critical factors and derive recommendations for practical use.

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