A well-known challenge in vehicle dynamics is to design a vehicle that will not only keep the occupants comfortable, but will also ensure safe and stable operation during various manoeuvres over multiple driving surfaces. A soft and compliant suspension is generally required for good ride comfort, while a stiff suspension with a low centre of mass is required for improved handling. These contradicting factors in the design process is commonly referred to as the ride comfort versus handling compromise. A newly developed semi-active hydropneumatic suspension system is proposed to reduce or negate this compromise by being able to change its characteristics according to the dynamic state of the vehicle. The unit is equipped with two proportional solenoid valves that can provide continuously variable damping. In addition, the valves are able to completely close off flow to compressible gas volumes to provide four discrete stiffness characteristics. This suspension system is based on a previously developed suspension that had only two state (open or closed) valves, which provided discrete damping characteristics. A thorough investigation of the older system proved that the system was capable of addressing the ride comfort versus handling compromise. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the updated design could deliver improved performance and to recommend focus areas for future research initiatives. The suspension system’s characteristics were determined experimentally by actuating the unit on a test bench. Results indicated that the unit produced the desired stiffness, low damping and response time characteristics. A mathematical model of the suspension unit was developed and validated against experimental data. The model was used in single degree of freedom simulations to investigate both passive and semi-active controlled performance. Results indicated that the suspension could be semi-actively controlled for improve ride comfort. However, the magnitude of improvements with semi-active control, which includes a suitable response time, proved to be rather insignificant compared to the optimum passive suspension. / Dissertation (MEng)--University of Pretora, 2019. / Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering / MEng (Mechanical) / Unrestricted

This thesis has been performed at Öhlins Racing AB which is known world-wide for its high quality racing shock absorbers. Öhlins have been developing shock absorbers for more than 30 years and in addition to this they also develop a technology for semi-active suspension. Semi-active suspension technology makes it possible to achieve an intelligent and dynamic vehicle chassis control. Compared to standard passive suspensions, semiactive dampers allow improving vehicle cornering performance while still providing good comfort when cruising. This is achieved by a real time adjustment of the suspensions damping characteristics. Öhlins system for semi-active suspension is called CES (Continuously controlled Electronic Suspension). The systems consist of electronically controlled hydraulic valves for uniflow dampers. These valves are mounted on all four dampers of the vehicle and are controlled individually to provide the desired ride quality. The valves are configurable to suit many types of vehicles by changing internal parts. The first goal of this thesis project was to study the behaviour of the CES valve and uniflow damper. In order to achieve this a simulation model was created using Hopsan which is a 1-dimensional multi-domain modelling tool developed at the division of Fluid and Mechatronic Systems at Linköping University. The model considers mechanical forces from for example springs together with hydraulic forces. It was validated against static and dynamic measurements made in a flow bench and a dynamometer. The second goal was to use the simulation model as part of a tool that configures the CES valve according to a requirements specification. To achieve this goal a method of estimating the characteristics of the internal damper valves was developed. This estimation method, together with the simulation model, was used to choose the best valve configuration by using weighted least-squares. The result is presented in a Matlab-based graphical user interface.

Ce travail concerne le développement de méthodes de commandes avancées pour les suspensions automobiles afin d'améliorer la tenue de route des véhicules et le confort des passagers, tout en respectant les contraintes technologiques liées aux actionneurs de suspension (passivité, non-linéarités, limite structurelle). Dans la 1ère partie, nous proposons deux schémas de commande par approche LPV polytopique (Linéaire à Paramètre Variant) et Stabilisation Forte (Strong Stabilization) avec optimisation par algorithme génétique pour résoudre les conflits confort/tenue de route et confort/débattement de suspension. Dans la 2ème partie, pour résoudre le problème complet de commande de suspensions semi-actives, nous développons d'abord une stratégie générique pour les systèmes LPV généraux soumis à la saturation des actionneurs et à des contraintes d'état. Le problème est étudié sous la forme de résolution d'inégalités linéaires matricielles (LMI) qui permettent de synthétiser un contrôleur LPV et un gain anti wind-up garantissant la stabilité et la performance du système en boucle fermée. Ensuite, cette stratégie est appliquée au cas de la commande des suspensions semi-actives. Les méthodes proposées sont validées par une évaluation basée sur un critère industriel et des simulations effectuées sur un modèle non-linéaire de quart de véhicule. / This work concerns the development of advanced control methods for automotive suspensions to improve road holding and passenger comfort, while satisfying the technological constraints related to the suspension actuators (passivity, nonlinearity, structural limit). In the first part, we propose two control schemes by polytopic LPV (Linear Parameter Varying) approach and by Strong Stabilization with genetic algorithm optimization to solve the comfort/handling and comfort/suspension travel conflits. In the second part, to solve the full semi-active suspension problem, we develop first a generic strategy for general LPV systems subject to actuator saturation and state constraints. The problem is studied in the form of resolution matrix of linear inequalities (LMI) that allows synthesizing an LPV controller and an anti-windup gain to ensure the stability and performance of the closed-loop system. Second, the theoretical result is applied to the case of semi-active suspension control. The proposed methods are validated by an evaluation based on an industrial standard and simulations on a nonlinear quarter vehicle model.

An Advanced Controller for a Semi-Active Wheelchair Suspension was designed, built and tested. The suspension consisted of a Goodyear 1S3-011 air spring, IQ Valves high speed proportional solenoid valve, and a custom made accumulator. Several controller designs specific to semi-active suspensions were designed and tested. The controllers investigated were skyhook, acceleration driven damping, and a combined control law employing both a dual and single sensor version. The implementation of skyhook control suffered performance degradation from the idealization due to particular elements of hardware, however acceleration driven damping showed a marked and statistically significant improvement over skyhook control, in hardware, by 14%. The combined control laws exhibited as yet unexplained transient behavior that produced results with low confidence in their veracity. All controllers proposed performed better than a conventional oil damper and spring type suspension.

Hunting is a very common instability exhibited by rail vehicles operating at high speeds. The hunting phenomenon is a self excited lateral oscillation that is produced by the forward speed of the vehicle and the wheel-rail interactive forces that result from the conicity of the wheel-rail contours and the friction-creep characteristics of the wheel-rail contact geometry. Hunting can lead to severe ride discomfort and eventual physical damage to wheels and rails. A comprehensive study of the lateral stability of a single wheelset, a single truck, and the complete rail vehicle has been performed. This study investigates bifurcation phenomenon and limit cycles in rail vehicle dynamics. Sensitivity of the critical hunting velocity to various primary and secondary stiffness and damping parameters has been examined. This research assumes the rail vehicle to be moving on a smooth, level, and tangential track, and all parts of the rail vehicle to be rigid. Sources of nonlinearities in the rail vehicle model are the nonlinear wheel-rail profile, the friction-creep characteristics of the wheel-rail contact geometry, and the nonlinear vehicle suspension characteristics. This work takes both single-point and two-point wheel-rail contact conditions into account. The results of the lateral stability study indicate that the critical velocity of the rail vehicle is most sensitive to the primary longitudinal stiffness. A method has been developed to eliminate hunting behavior in rail vehicles by increasing the critical velocity of hunting beyond the operational speed range. This method involves the semi-active control of the primary longitudinal stiffness using the wheelset yaw displacement. This approach is seen to considerably increase the critical hunting velocity. / Master of Science

Instead of dissipating vibration energy into heat waste via viscous damping elements, this dissertation proposes an innovative vibration control method which can simultaneously mitigate vibration and harvest the associated vibration energy using electromagnetic energy harvesters. This dissertation shows that the electromagnetic energy harvester can work as a controllable damper as well as an energy harvester. The semi-active control of a linear electromagnetic energy harvester, for improvement of suspension performance, has been experimentally implemented in a scaled-down quarter-car suspension system. While improving performance, power produced by the harvester can be harvested through energy harvesting circuits. This dissertation also proposes a mechanical-motion-rectifier(MMR)-based electromagnetic energy harvester using a ball-screw mechanism and two one-way clutches for the application of replacing the viscous damper in vehicle suspensions. Compared to commercial linear harvesters, the proposed design is able to provide large damping forces and increase power-dissipation density, making it suitable to vehicle suspensions. In addition, the proposed MMR-based harvester can convert reciprocating vibration into unidirectional rotation of the generator. This feature significantly increases energy-harvesting efficiency by enabling the generator to rotate at a relatively steady speed during irregular vibrations and improves the system reliability by reducing impact forces among transmission gears. Extensive theoretical and experimental analysis have been conducted to characterize the proposed MMR-based energy harvester. The coupled dynamics of the suspension system with the MMR-based energy harvester are also explored and optimized. Furthermore, a new control algorithm is proposed to control the MMR-based energy harvester considering its unique dynamics induced by the one-way clutches. The results show that the controlled proposed electromagnetic energy harvester can possibly improve ride comfort of vehicles over conventional oil dampers and simultaneously harvest the associated vibration energy. / Ph. D.

Semi-active suspensions have drawn particular attention due to their superior performance over the other types of suspensions. One of their advantages is that their damping coefficient can be controlled without the need for any external source of power. In this study, a handful of control approaches are implemented on a car models using MATLAB/Simulink. The investigated control methodologies are skyhook, groundhook, hybrid skyhook-groundhook, Acceleration Driven Damper, Power Driven Damper, H∞ Robust Control, Fuzzy Logic Controller, and Inverse ANFIS. H∞ Robust Control is an advanced method that guarantees transient performance and rejects external disturbances. It is shown that H∞ with the proposed modification, has the best performance although its relatively high cost of computation could be potentially considered as a drawback. Also, the proposed Inverse ANFIS controller uses the power of fuzzy systems along with neural networks to help improve vehicle ride metrics significantly. In this study, a novel approach is introduced to analyze and fine-tune semi-active suspension control algorithms. In some cases, such as military trucks moving on off-road terrains, it is critical to keep the vehicle ride quality in an acceptable range. Semi-active suspensions are used to have more control over the ride metrics compared to passive suspensions and also, be more cost-effective compared to active suspensions. The proposed methodology will investigate the skyhook-groundhook hybrid controller. This is accomplished by conducting sensitivity analysis of the controller performance to varying vehicle/road parameters. This approach utilizes sensitivity analysis and one-at-a-time methodology to find and reach the optimum point of vehicle suspensions. Furthermore, real-time tuning of the mentioned controller will be studied. The online tuning will help keep the ride quality of the vehicle close to its optimum point while the vehicle parameters are changing. A quarter-car model is used for all simulations and analyses. / Ph. D.

All vehicles have changing payloads that affect their dynamic response. Compared to passenger vehicles, heavy machinery have larger and more greatly varying payload masses, higher centers of mass, and encounter larger disturbances. These factors lead to significant increases in the amount of vibration experienced by heavy machinery operators. This fact, when coupled with the large amount of exposure time that a typical heavy machinery operator incurs, leads to much greater vibration dosage values for the heavy machinery operator. In addition, the heavy machinery operator faces equal or greater opportunity for accident. The chance of accident, along with the increased vibration dosage, leads to an operating condition with significant safety risks, both short and long term. It has been shown that payloads affect both the stability and vibration isolation properties of a vehicle. Large payloads reduce vehicle stability while increasing the amount of vibration transmitted to the operator. A method to compensate for these loading affects would prove to be a useful technique to increase the safety of the vehicle, both in terms of accident avoidance and long term health effects of vibration. This thesis provides such payload compensation techniques. Improved vehicle dynamics were accomplished with the use of both active and semi-active suspension control. The active systems used are optimal control based, and provided the greatest improvements in vehicle performance. An optimal controller designed around a nominal payload, however, proved insufficient for operation over the entire payload range due to too large peak actuator forces at low payloads. A multiple model approach was used to remedy this problem. Semi-active systems based on a Linear Quadratic Regulator with output feedback and damping selection via static deflection were developed. The semi-active systems would require far less power than the active systems, with the need for knowledge of fewer systems states. It was shown that despite these lower demands, the semi-active systems closely approach the performance of the fully active systems.

Today, Sport Utility Vehicles are marketed as both on-road and off-road vehicles. This results in a compromise when designing the suspension of the vehicle. If the suspension characteristics are fixed, the vehicle cannot have good handling capabilities on highways and good ride comfort over rough terrain. The rollover propensity of this type of vehicle compared to normal cars is high because it has a combination of a high centre of gravity and a softer suspension. The 4 State Semi-active Suspension System (4S4) that can switch between two discrete spring characteristics as well as two discrete damper characteristics, has been proven to overcome this compromise. The soft suspension setting (soft spring and low damping) is used for ride comfort, while the hard suspension setting (stiff spring and high damping) is used for handling. The following question arises: when is which setting most appropriate? The two main contributing factors are the terrain profile and the driver’s actions. Ride comfort is primarily dependant on the terrain that the vehicle is travelling over. If the terrain can be identified, certain driving styles can be expected for that specific environment. The terrains range from rough and uncomfortable to smooth with high speed manoeuvring. Terrain classification methods are proposed and tested with measured data from the test vehicle on known terrain types. Good results were obtained from the terrain classification methods. Five terrain types were accurately identified from over an hour’s worth of vehicle testing. Handling manoeuvres happen unexpectedly, often to avoid an accident. To improve the handling and therefore safety of the vehicle, the 4S4 can be switched to the hard suspension setting, which results in a reduced body roll angle. This decision should be made quickly with the occupants’ safety as the priority. Methods were investigated that will determine when to switch the suspension to the handling mode based on the kinematics of the vehicle. The switching strategies proposed in this study have the potential, with a little refinement, to make the ride versus handling decision correctly. Copyright 2007, University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria. Please cite as follows: Bester, R 2007, The ride comfort versus handling decision for off-road vehicles, MEng dissertation, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, viewed yymmdd < http://upetd.up.ac.za/thesis/available/etd-10252007-111611 / > / Dissertation (MEng (Mechanical Engineering))--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering / unrestricted

Este trabalho apresenta uma metodologia de projeto de atuadores eletromagnéticos lineares inovadora para aplicação em sistemas de suspensão semiativa e ativa. A metodologia, apresentada na forma de fluxograma, define critérios para determinar os requisitos de força e curso que um atuador deve desenvolver considerando um sistema mecânico vibratório com um grau de liberdade com excitação harmônica de base quando o método de controle skyhook é aplicado. Um atuador eletromagnético linear de bobina móvel com duplo arranjo de quase-Halbach que apresenta elevada densidade de força, reduzida massa móvel, ausência de força de relutância e baixa ondulação de força é definido como estudo de caso. Um modelo numérico parametrizado em elementos finitos do comportamento eletromagnético de um passo polar do dispositivo é criado e analisado, considerando restrições dimensionais, com os objetivos de projeto definidos como: elevada densidade de força e reduzida ondulação de força com acionamento brushless CA. Com base no modelo de um passo polar do dispositivo, define-se o volume ativo que o mesmo deve apresentar e, a partir deste, todas as dimensões são definidas de forma a atender os requisitos de projeto. Uma vez definidas as dimensões do atuador com base no modelo eletromagnético, realiza-se a modelagem térmica numérica que permite avaliar qual a máxima densidade de corrente elétrica aplicável de forma que a temperatura, estipulada como máxima, nos enrolamentos não seja excedida. Ainda, a distribuição térmica permite determinar a temperatura de operação dos ímãs permanentes que têm curva de operação dependente da temperatura. A partir dos resultados da simulação térmica e do modelo eletromagnético para um passo polar, realizou-se o acoplamento eletromagnético-térmico por meio da correção das propriedades dos ímãs permanentes e aplicando uma densidade de corrente eficaz dependente das dimensões do modelo parametrizado. O modelo acoplado é simulado e analisado, de modo que as dimensões finais do atuador podem ser obtidas atendendo aos mesmos objetivos de projeto previamente mencionados, respeitando os limites de operação térmica. Adicionalmente, são apresentados modelos analíticos do comportamento eletromagnético e térmico do atuador que podem servir de base para implementação da metodologia proposta, se esta for baseada em modelos analíticos, e podem futuramente ser empregados para a aplicação de otimização matemática do dispositivo. Por fim, um protótipo do dispositivo é construído de forma a validar a metodologia proposta. Com este protótipo são realizados ensaios de densidade de fluxo magnético no entreferro, tensão induzida a vazio, força estática e ensaio dinâmicos com o dispositivo instalado em uma bancada de testes de vibrações controladas desenvolvida durante o projeto. Os resultados mostram a eficácia da metodologia proposta, uma vez que os resultados experimentais mostraram boa concordância com os resultados esperados. / This work presents an innovative linear electromagnetic actuator design methodology for application in semi-active and active suspension systems. The methodology, synthesized in a flowchart, sets criteria to determine requirements such as axial force and stroke that an actuator should develop considering a vibration system with one degree of freedom with harmonic base excitation when the skyhook control method is applied. A linear moving-coil electromagnetic actuator with dual quasi-Halbach arrays of permanent magnets that presents high force density, low moving-mass, no reluctance force and low force ripple is defined as a case study. A finite element numerical parameterized model that describes the electromagnetic behavior of one pole pitch of the device is created and analyzed, considering dimensional constraints, with the design objectives defined as: high force density and low ripple of force with brushless AC drive. Based on the model of one pole pitch of the device the active volume and all dimensions are defined in order to meet the design requirements. Once the actuator dimensions are defined, based on the electromagnetic model, a numerical thermal model was constructed, which allows to evaluate the maximum applicable electric current density so that the maximum temperature at the windings is not exceeded. Furthermore, the thermal distribution gives the operating temperature of the permanent magnets, which present performance highly dependent on temperature. With the results of the thermal simulation, the electromagnetic-thermal coupling is performed by correcting permanent magnet properties and by applying a parametric-dependent effective current density. The coupled model is simulated and analyzed so that the final dimensions of the actuator can be obtained with the same design objectives previously mentioned, while respecting thermal operating limits. In addition, the work presents analytical models of the electromagnetic and thermal behavior of the actuator that can be the basis for implementation of the proposed methodology, if it is based on analytical models, and can further be used for the application of mathematical optimization of the device. Finally, a prototype was built to validate the proposed method. Measurements were carried out to assess magnetic flux density in the air gap, open-circuit induced voltage, static force and dynamic tests with the device installed in a test bench that was developed during this work. The results show the effectiveness of the proposed method since experimental results have shown good agreement with the expected results.