This thesis deals with the examination of damper characteristics and influence of individual parameters on vehicle handling, primarily with the use of computer program Matlab Simulink.

The diploma thesis deals with the analysis of the effects of shock absorber wear on the driving dynamics of the vehicle. Furthermore, a quarter model of the car was created in the Simulink software, where a procedure for evaluating the condition of the shock absorber while driving the vehicle was created. This procedure was subsequently validated on real measured data from the Hummer H3 car.

This diploma thesis studies the use of air springs for race car, precisely Formula Student race car. Research part of the thesis deals with choosing suitable air spring for given application. In practical part, there is computation of parameters for appropriate setting of air spring, so it will comply with the rules of Formula Student. There is also simulation of air spring functionality in real use.

The diploma thesis focuses especially on a design of a way for evaluating roughness in road profile, which affects driving characteristics of a car and a ride. In the theoretical part of the thesis are mentioned the most used methods and tools for road roughness analysis in the world. For the purposes of this thesis an experimental measuring were undertaken in order to obtain data for the own design of a road profile analysing system.

Tyre wear is a vital problem in vehicles, especially in articulated vehicles because of their heavier axle loads. Tyre wear can not only do harm to vehicle dynamics but also cause tyre particle emissions. Therefore, solutions that can minimise tyre wear are where this thesis work focuses. The suspension design is one of the main factors affecting tyre wear. This thesis considers different kinds of semi-active (such as ADD, SH-2 and GH-2) and active suspensions (\(H_\infty\) control) and compares them with a passive suspension with regards to tyre wear. Driving comfort and road holding are considered as well. The simulation starts by running a IPG/TruckMaker model on a route introducing a certain road roughness profile, and outputs lateral slip angles, which together with vehicle parameters and route data are input into a Simulink model. Then, based on the static vertical load on each axles of the articulated vehicle, three different quarter car models corresponding to the axles with various suspension systems are built in Simulink. Simulation results show that the active suspension (\(H_\infty\) control approach) works best in minimising tyre wear, reducing tyre wear by 1-10\% compared to the passive suspension when the vehicle is driving on road profile Class C (country road). Meanwhile, several control strategies of \(H_\infty\) control are applied in order to result in overall good vehicle performance considering comfort and road holding. Semi-active suspensions also work well in reducing tyre wear, but the amount of tyre wear reduction is lower than that of the \(H_\infty\) controllers. / Däckslitage är ett viktigt problem för fordon, särskilt för tunga ledade fordon på grund av deras högre axellaster. Däckets slitage påverkar inte bara fordonets dynamik utan orsakar också utsläpp av däckpartiklar. Olika lösningar behöver utvecklas som kan minimera däckslitage och det är fokus för detta examensarbete. Hjulupphängningens konstruktion är en viktig faktor som påverkar däckslitaget. Detta arbete studerar olika typer av semiaktiva (såsom ADD, SH-2 och GH-2) och aktiva fjädringssystem (\(H_\infty\) reglering) och jämför dem med ett passivt fjädringssystem när det gäller däckslitage, samtidigt som även körkomfort och väghållning beaktas. Simuleringarna inleds med att en IPG/TruckMaker fordonsmodell kör längs en sträcka med en viss typ av vägojämnhet. Simuleringarna resulterar i avdriftsvinklar för fordonet som tillsammans med fordonsparametrar och ruttinformation skapar indata till en Simulink-modell. Därefter, baserat på den statiska vertikala belastningen på varje axel i det ledade fordonet, skapas tre olika kvartsbilsmodeller i Simulink som motsvarar axlarna med deras olika hjulupphängningssystem.Simuleringsresultaten visar att den aktiva fjädringen (\(H_\infty\)) fungerar bäst när det gäller att minimera däckslitage, där slitaget minskar med 1-10\% jämfört med den passiva fjädringen när fordonet kör på vägprofil klass C (landsväg). Samtidigt tillämpas flera olika \(H_\infty\) reglerstrategier för att åstadkomma överlag goda fordonsprestanda även med avseende på komfort och väghållning. Semiaktiva fjädringssystem fungerar också bra för att minska däckslitaget, men minskningen av slitaget är lägre än den för den aktiva \(H_\infty\) fjädringen.

Suspension systems and wheels play a critical role in vehicle dynamics performance of a car in areas such as ride comfort and handling. Lumped parameter models (LPMs) are commonly used for assessing the performance of vehicle suspension systems. However, there is a lack of clarity with regard to the relative capabilities of different LPM configurations. A comprehensive comparative study of three most commonly used LPMs of increasing complexity has been carried out in the current work. The study reported here has yielded insights into the capabilities of the considered LPMs in predicting response time histories which may be used for assessing ride comfort. A shortcoming of available suspension system models appears to be in representation of harsh situations such as jounce movement which cause full compression of springs leading to ‘jerks’ manifested as high values of rate of change of acceleration of sprung mass riding on a wheel. In the current research work, a modified nonlinear quarter-car model is proposed to account for the contact force that results in jerk-type response. The numerical solution algorithm is validated through the simulation of an impact test on a car McPherson strut in a Drop Weight Impact Testing Tower developed in CAR Laboratory, CPDM. This is followed by a detailed comparison of HCM and QCM to examine their suitability for such analysis. For decades, wheel bearings in vehicles have been designed using simplified analytical approaches based on Hertz contact theory and test data. In the present work, a hybrid approach has been developed for assessing the load bearing capacity of a wheel ball bearing set. According to this approach, the amplitude of dynamic wheel load can be obtained from a lumped parameter analysis of a suspension system, which can then be used for detailed static finite element analysis of a wheel bearing system. The finite element modelling approach has been validated by successfully predicting the load bearing capacity of an SKF ball bearing set for an acceptable fatigue life. For the first time, using a powerful commercial explicit finite element analysis tool, a detailed dynamic analysis has been carried of a deep groove ball bearing with a rotating inner race. The analysis has led to a consistent representation of complex motions consisting of rotations and revolutions of rolling elements, and generated insights into the stresses developed in the various components such as balls and races. In conclusion, a simple yet effective fuzzy logic-based yaw control algorithm has been presented in the current research. According to this algorithm, two inputs i.e. a yaw rate error and a driver steering angle are used for generating an output in the form of an additive steering angle which potentially can aid a driver in avoiding straying from an intended path.

The master thesis deals with design, manufacturing and testing of a prototype magnetorheological damper developed for Formula Student vehicle. The aim was to design and test the damper with similar damping properties to the vehicle as a conventional damper has. Target force-velocity curves were set using quarter car model and evaluated comparing minimal contact force of a tyre for conventional and newly developed damper characteristics. Structural analysis of designed parts, hydraulic and static magnetic analysis were performed. Manufacturing of a specific part magnetorheological damper part was described – piston. Manufactured prototype damper characteristics were evaluated.

The object of this master thesis is testing of vehicle using four post rig. The main goal is to make a research about testing and tuning vehicle characteristics on four post rig in order to implement them for testing of TU Brno Racing’s Formula Student racecar. The main method of testing, input signals and measurement description are presented in this thesis. The different methods of analysis of testing data to find best tuning of damper and spring stiffness for different race disciplines are described. In the last part of this work, quarter car model and multibody model in MSC Adams Car is created. Input parameters of model are based on measurements from real car/ component testing, including damper characteristics and static tire radial stiffness for best fit with the characteristics of real vehicle. The measurements themselves were also described in separate chapter of this thesis. The last but not the least goal was to compare these simulations with measurements, made od real four post rig in order to decide whether car model is suitable for racecar development.

In this thesis, the feasibility to integrate an brake disc and electric machine is investigated. In wheel motors (IWMs) have several advantages, such as saving space in the vehicle, individual and direct control at the wheels and the absence of a mechanical transmission. However, today’s IWMs are heavy and, thus, negatively affect the driving performance of the vehicle due to the increase of the unsprung mass. By integrating an already existing part in the wheel, this increase of the unsprung mass can be minimized. The brake disc manages high temperatures, a significant wear in rough environ-ment, which puts high demands on the rotor. The second part of the machine, the stator, will be significantly affected by the high temperatures of the rotor. The temperatures of the stator are transferred by convection, conduction and radiation from the rotor or brake disc. Liquid cooling of the stator back is analyzed as a potential solution for handling the high temperatures. In order to analyze the feasibility of the concept, thermal, electric and mechanical modelling has been used. The evaluation whether it is possible or not to integrate the brake disc has been with regard to the results of weight, cost, thermal tolerance and electric performance. / I detta arbete undersöks möjligheten att integrera en bromsskiva med elmaskin. Hjul-motorer har flera fördelar, bland annat sparas utrymme i själva bilen, individuell kontroll samt drivning av hjulen utan mekaniska transmissioner. Men hjulmotorer som kan användas idag väger oftast så pass mycket att den odämpade massan ökar kritiskt och köregenskaper av fordonet då blir lidande. Genom att integrera en befintlig del i hjulet kan ¨okningen av odämpade massan minskas. Att använda bromsskivan som rotor, kräver att denna tål temperaturer ¨over 500◦C samt påfrestningar och slitage som en vanlig mekanisk friktionsbroms måste uthärda. Den andra delen av maskinen, statorn kommer även denna att påverkas av de höga temperaturerna av bromsskivan som kommer ledas via konvektion, konduktion och strålning. Möjligheten att kyla statorn med vätska och om detta är tillräckligt undersöks. För att analyserna genomförbarheten av projektet har termiska, elektriska och mekaniska modeller använts. Resultaten har analyserats där maskinens vikt, kostnad, termisk tålighet och elektrisk prestanda har legat till grund för bedömningen om lösningen; att integrera en broms-skiva med elmaskin är rimlig eller ej.