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Orientador: José Elias Tomazini / Banca: Mauro Hugo Mathias / Banca: Anselmo Monteiro Ilkiu / Resumo: Neste trabalho é feito um estudo de comportamento dinâmico de um veículo pequeno com suspensão passiva trafegando em pista com ondulações regulares, e análise da estabilidade. O veículo é modelado considerando-o como um sistema multicorpo rígido, com sete graus de liberdade, utilizando-se o método de Kane. As equações do movimento são definidas sobre uma listagem de programa preparada segundo o programa AUTOLEV, o qual emite um programa em linguagem FORTRAN para as simulações. Foi necessário obter-se diretamente do veículo dados característicos como: centros de gravidade, coeficientes de rigidez dos pneus e das molas, e coeficientes de amortecimento para a realização das simulações. Além disso, foram definidos dois tipos de rugosidade, quatro velocidades, duas seqüências de rugosidade, sendo uma com cinco ondas e outra com vinte ondas, bem como a consideração do veículo com um ocupante e cinco ocupantes. Com os resultados do processamento dos dados, foram traçados gráficos e realizadas análises dos efeitos das rugosidades sobre a dinâmica do veículo, conclusões e apresentações de sugestões. / Abstract: In this paper we study the dynamic behaviour of a small vehicle provided with passive suspension, riding on regularly rugged roads, and stability analysis. The vehicle is modelled considering as a rigid multibody system, with seven degrees of freedom, applying the Kaneþs method. Motion equations are defined on a program list according to the AUTOLEV software, which gives a FORTRAN language program for simulations. It was necessary to obtain directly from the vehicle, characteristic datas as centres of gravity, tires and springs stiffnesses, damper characteristics. In addition, it was defined two road roughnesses, four riding speeds, two sequences of roughness, one with five and other with twenty waves, as well as the consideration of vehicle with one and five occupants. With the results of processing, graphics were plotted, and analysis realized about roughness effects on vehicle dynamics and presentations of suggestions. / Mestre

A complete study was conducted on optical limiting characterization in samples of carbon black microparticles in a mixture of deionized water and ethylene glyccol using nanosecodn and picosecond later pulses at 532 nm and 1064 nm.

M.Ing. (Electrical & Electronic Engineering) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

Le broyage réalisé dans un broyeur à billes agité est un procédé permettant de produire des nanoparticules en suspension dense. L’étude réalisée a pour objet l’analyse de l’influence de l’hydrodynamique sur le processus de réduction de taille. La première partie de l’étude a porté sur la modélisation de l'hydrodynamique globale dans ce broyeur en considérant un fluide équivalent de propriétés rhéologiques variables, représentant le mélange des billes de broyage et de la suspension à broyer. Les champs de vitesse, obtenus par simulation numérique directe (DNS), ont permis de déterminer une cartographie des collisions avec leurs caractéristiques et d'en déduire les mécanismes responsables de la fragmentation. A partir de la connaissance des vitesses d'impact et des nombres de Reynolds caractéristiques des collisions dans le broyeur, un dispositif expérimental a été conçu reproduisant, à plus grande échelle, le rapprochement d'une bille de broyage mobile vers une bille fixe. Les profils de vitesse de drainage ont été mesurés par vélocimétrie par image de particules (PIV) sous différentes conditions expérimentales et différentes configurations d'impact. Ces mesures ont permis de calculer les trajectoires de particules fictives dans l'entrefer entre les sphères et d'estimer une efficacité de capture des particules. On observe qu'une augmentation des effets d'inertie de ces particules, en agissant soit sur leur diamètre, soit sur la vitesse de collision, est favorable à leur capture et par conséquent à leur fragmentation. De manière complémentaire, l'examen des trajectoires de particules réelles déposées à la surface de la sphère immobile a révélé que l'efficacité de capture est réduite lorsque le nombre de Stokes des particules augmente. / The stirred media mill is used to produce nanoparticles from dense suspensions. The purpose of our study is to analyse the influence of the hydrodynamics on the fragmentation process. The first part is devoted to the flow modelling in the mill for an equivalent fluid. The constitutive law is accounting for the properties of grinding beads and suspended particles. Velocity fields, obtained by direct numerical simulations, have permitted to analyse the collision characteristics and to determine the major mechanisms leading to fragmentation. By determining the impact velocities and collisional Reynolds we were able to set up an experiment modelling two approaching grinding beads. One bead is mobile while the other is fixed. The flow velocities in the fluid have been measured by PIV for a wide range of conditions. These velocity fields have been used to calculate particle trajectories within the gap between the two beads. This yields to estimate a capture efficiency for particles. We concluded that an increase of the particle diameter or an increase of the impact velocity increases the probability of capture. Additionally, trajectories of deposited particle at the surface of the fixed spheres show that the capture efficiency decreases when the Stokes number of the particle increases.

Mathematical and computer modelling have been playing an increasingly important role in the Computer Aided Engineering (CAE) process. Simulation offers great advantages in the development and analysis phase of products and offers a faster, better and more cost effective way than using physical prototypes alone. The ever increasing demand for new and improved products in the vehicle industry has decreased the time available for the development of new vehicles, but at the same time the demands on quality, reliability and mass that are set for the vehicle are becoming ever more stringent. These requirements have lead to the investigation of procedures and methodologies such as virtual prototyping that will reduce the development time of new vehicles without inhibiting the quality of the vehicle. In order to perform effective and reliable simulations in the CAE process, accurate simulation models of the vehicle and its associated systems, subsystems and components are required. In the vehicle dynamics context simulation models of the tyres, suspension, springs, damper, etc, are needed. This study will look at creating a validated model of a leaf spring suspension system used on commercial vehicles. The primary goal set for the model is to be able to predict the forces at the points where the suspension system is attached to the vehicle chassis as the model is to be used in full vehicle durability simulations. The component which will receive a considerable amount of attention in this study is the leaf spring. Leaf springs have been used in vehicle suspensions for many years. Even though leaf springs are frequently used in practice they still hold great challenges in creating accurate mathematical models. It is needless to say that an accurate model of a leaf spring is required if accurate full vehicle models are to be created. As all simulation models in this study are required to be validated against experimental measurements a thorough experimental characterisation of the suspension system of interest, as well as two different leaf springs, are performed. In order to measure the forces between the suspension attachment points and the chassis, two six component load cells were developed, calibrated, verified and validated. This study will primarily focus on the modelling of a multi-leaf spring as well as a parabolic leaf spring. The study starts with a literature study into the various existing modelling techniques for leaf springs. A novel leaf spring model, which is based on a macro modelling view point similar to that used for modelling material behaviour, is developed. One of the modelling techniques found in the literature, i.e. neural networks, is also used to model the leaf spring. The use of neural networks is applied and some of the challenges associated with the method are indicated. The accuracy and efficiency of the physics-based elasto-plastic leaf spring model and the non physics-based neural network model are compared. The modified percentage relative error metric is compared to two other quantitative validation metrics that were identified from the literature study. It is concluded that the modified percentage relative error has certain limitations but that it is able to give an accurate and representative account of the agreement/disagreement between two periodic signals around zero. The modified percentage relative error is used to obtain the accuracies of the elasto-plastic leaf spring models and the neural network model. Both models give good results with the neural network being almost 3 times more computationally efficient. The elasto-plastic leaf spring model, for the multi-leaf spring, is further extended to model the behaviour of a parabolic leaf spring. Qualitative validation using experimental data shows that the elasto-plastic leaf spring model is able to accurately predict the vertical behaviour of both the multi-leaf spring as well as the parabolic leaf spring. The elasto-plastic leaf spring model was also combined with a method that is able to capture the effect of changes in the spring stiffness due to changes in the loaded length. Quantitative validation shows that the method proposed for accounting for the change in stiffness due to changes in the loaded length is able to capture this characteristic of the physical leaf spring. Following a systematic modelling approach the elasto-plastic multi-leaf spring model is incorporated into a model of a simplified version of the physical suspension system. The qualitative validation results from this model show that the model is able to accurately predict the forces that are transmitted from the suspension system to the chassis. The models created in this study can be used in future work and, with the addition of more detail the models, can be extended to create a model of the complete suspension system. / Thesis (PhD(Eng))--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering / unrestricted

This thesis presents a method which facilitates rapid determination of the cable tension in suspension bridges. A set of tables and curves is included for use in the application of the method. The method is valid for suspension bridges with stiffening girders or trusses either hinged at the supports or continuous. A modified superposition method is discussed and the use of influence lines for cable tension in non-linear suspension bridges is demonstrated. A derivation of the suspension bridge equations is included and various refinements in the theory are discussed. A computer program to analyse suspension bridges was written as an aid in the research and for the purpose of testing the manual method proposed. A description of the program is included along with Its Fortran listing. / Applied Science, Faculty of / Civil Engineering, Department of / Graduate

To achieve passive vibration control, an adaptive flywheel design is proposed and fabricated from two different materials. The corresponding mathematical models for the adaptive flywheels are developed. A two-terminal hydraulic device and a two-terminal inverse screw device are introduced to analyze the two adaptive flywheels. Experiments are carried out to identify key parameters for both the two-terminal hydraulic system and the inverse screw system. The performance of three different suspension systems are evaluated; these are the traditional suspension system, the suspension system consisting of an ideal two-terminal device with constant flywheel and the suspension system consisting of an ideal two-terminal device with an adaptive flywheel (AFW suspension system). Results show that the AFW suspension system can outperform the other two suspension systems under certain conditions. The performance of a suspension system with the adaptive flywheel under different changing ratio is evaluated, and an optimal changing ratio is identified under certain circumstances. To obtain the steady-state response of the two-terminal device with adaptive flywheel, three different methods have been applied in this thesis. These methods are the single harmonic balance method, the multi-harmonic balance method and the scanning iterative multi-harmonic balance method, respectively. Compared to the single harmonic balance method, the multi-harmonic balance method provides a much more accurate system response. However, the proposed scanning iterative multi-harmonic balance method provides more accurate system response than the single harmonic balance method with much less computational effort.

This thesis examines the classic ride comfort vs. handling compromise when designing a vehicle suspension system. A controllable suspension system, that can, through the use of suitable control algorithms, eliminate this compromise, is proposed and implemented. It is a well known fact that if a vehicle suspension system is designed for best ride comfort, then handling performance will suffer and vice versa. This is especially true for the class of vehicle that need to perform well both on- and off-road such as Sports Utility Vehicles (SUV’s) and wheeled military vehicles. These vehicles form the focus of this investigation. The ride comfort and handling of a Land Rover Defender 110 Sports Utility Vehicle is investigated using mathematical modelling and field tests. The full vehicle, non-linear mathematical model, built in MSC ADAMS software, is verified against test data, with favourable correlation between modelled and measured results. The model is subsequently modified to incorporate hydropneumatic springs and used to obtain optimised spring and damper characteristics for ride comfort and handling respectively. Ride comfort is optimised by minimising vertical acceleration when driving in a straight line over a rough, off-road terrain profile. Handling is optimised by minimising the body roll angle through a double lane change manoeuvre. It is found that these optimised results are at opposite corners of the design space, i.e. ride comfort requires a soft suspension while handling requires a stiff suspension. It is shown that the ride comfort vs. handling compromise can only be eliminated by having an active suspension system, or a controllable suspension system that can switch between a soft and a stiff spring, as well as low and high damping. This switching must occur rapidly and automatically without driver intervention. A prototype 4 State Semi-active Suspension System (4S4) is designed, manufactured, tested and modelled mathematically. This system enables switching between low and high damping, as well as between soft and stiff springs in less than 100 milliseconds. A control strategy to switch the suspension system between the “ride” mode and the “handling” mode is proposed, implemented on a test vehicle and evaluated during vehicle tests over various on- and off-road terrains and for various handling manoeuvres. The control strategy is found to be simple and cost effective to implement and works extremely well. Improvements of the order of 50% can be achieved for both ride comfort and handling. AFRIKAANS : In hierdie proefskrif word die klassieke kompromie wat getref moet word tussen ritgemak en hantering, tydens die ontwerp van ‘n voertuig suspensiestelsel ondersoek. ‘n Beheerbare suspensiestelsel, wat die kompromie kan elimineer deur gebruik te maak van toepaslike beheeralgoritmes, word voorgestel en geïmplementeer. Dit is ‘n bekende feit dat, wanneer die karakteristieke van ‘n voertuigsuspensiestelsel ontwerp word vir die beste moontlike ritgemak, die hantering nie na wense is nie, en ook omgekeerd. Dit is veral waar vir ‘n spesifieke kategorie van voertuie, soos veldvoertuie en militêre wielvoertuie, wat oor goeie ritgemak en hantering, beide op paaie en in die veld, moet beskik. Die fokus van die huidige studie val op hierdie kategorie voertuie. Die ritgemak en hantering van ‘n Land Rover Defender 110 veldvoertuig is ondersoek deur gebruik te maak van wiskundige modellering en veldtoetse. Die volvoertuig, nielineêre wiskundige model, soos ontwikkel met behulp van MSC ADAMS sagteware, is geverifieer teen eksperimentele data en goeie korrelasie is verkry. Die model is verander ten einde ‘n hidropneumatiese veer-en-demperstelsel te inkorporeer en verder gebruik om optimale veer- en demperkarakteristieke vir onderskeidelik ritgemak en hantering te verkry. Ritgemak is geoptimeer deur in ‘n reguit lyn oor ‘n rowwe veldterreinprofiel te ry, terwyl hantering geoptimeer is deur ‘n dubbelbaanveranderingsmaneuver uit te voer. Die resultaat is dat die geoptimeerde karakteristieke op die twee uiterstes van die ontwerpsgebied lê. Beste ritgemak benodig ‘n sagte suspensie terwyl beste hantering ‘n harde suspensie benodig. Daar word aangedui dat die ritgemak vs. hantering kompromie slegs elimineer kan word deur gebruik van ‘n aktiewe suspensiestelsel, of ‘n beheerbare suspensiestelsel wat kan skakel tussen ‘n sagte en stywe veer, asook hoë en lae demping. Dié oorskakeling moet vinnig en outomaties geskied sonder enige ingryping van die voertuigbestuurder. ‘n Prototipe 4 Stadium Semi-aktiewe Suspensie Stelsel (4S4) is ontwerp, vervaardig,getoets en wiskundig gemodelleer. Die stelsel skakel tussen hoë en lae demping, asook tussen ‘n stywe en sagte veer binne 100 millisekondes. ‘n Beheerstrategie wat die suspensiestelsel skakel tussen die “ritgemak” en “hantering” modes is voorgestel, op ‘n toetsvoertuig geïmplementeer en evalueer tydens voertuigtoetse oor verskeie pad- en veldry toestande, asook tydens omrol- en hanteringstoetse. Die beheerstrategie is koste-effektief en maklik om te implementeer en werk besonder goed. Verbeterings in die orde van 50% kan behaal word vir beide ritgemak en hantering. / Thesis (PhD (Mechanical Engineering))--University of Pretoria, 2011. / Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering / unrestricted

There is always a desire to develop and offer the best and most protable products on the market. This master thesis in mechanical engineering investigates the possibility to reduce the costs of the bogie suspension on Volvo's articulated haulers. The so called stays in the existing bogie suspension are significant components that connects the axle housings to the frame. The existing solution consists of stays that are expensive, heavy and time consuming to manufacture. Concepts in CAD will be compared to each other and and all concept will be evaluated in more detail. Totally five concepts were generated and modelled. They were compared regarding strains on rubber parts, required stay dimensions, collision between different parts and axle movements. Two proceeded concepts for further development after the evaluation and two new concepts were generated. A new comparison was made with additional tests. Simulations conrmed that it was only possible to proceed with one of the two developed concepts because one of the concepts would require large dimensions to manage the applied forces. The selected concept was redesigned and adapted to be as realizable as possible. Bushing kits, reinforcements, and detailed designs of parts were considered. Simple FEMcalculations was only made on parts that wasn't depending on components on the frame since these calculations would be too advanced and time consuming. The resulting concept needs more work to be realizable since there are geometry optimization on molded components left as well as advanced calculations when integrating the solution on the frame. A weight loss ofapproximately 95kg and a cost reduction of 3700SEK was made. Further investigations has to be done to determine if it's possible to obtain a positive business case with the new bogie suspension.