Prediction of vehicle disc brake roughness noise is a non-trivial challenge. In fact, neither the source mechanisms, nor the transfer paths are so far well understood. Traditionally, disc brake noise problems are studied as part of the friction-induced noise field, where the source is considered to be a more or less local phenomenon related to the brake disc and brake pad. However, for the roughness noise of interest here this viewpoint is not adequate when attempting to solve the interior noise problem since the transfer of vibro-energy from the brake into the vehicle body is a crucial aspect and plays an important role in the understanding and solution to the problem. The vibroacoustic energy transfer associated with the brake roughness noise is a problem where geometrical complexity and material combinations, including rubber bushings, pose an intricate modelling problem. Additionally, system altering effects from moving parts and loadings are important, e.g. due to the steering or brake systems. In addition, the source mechanisms themselves must also be understood to be able to solve the problem. The current work constitutes a combined experimental and theoretical investigation, aiming at an increased understanding of the source, the transfer paths and how they are a affected by change in the operational state. The experimental study of the vehicle disc brake roughness noise, is based on measurements conducted in a laboratory using a complete passenger car. It is found that the interior noise is a structural-borne broadband noise event well correlated to vehicle speed and brake pressure. The results suggest that the friction source may be divided into vibrations created in the sliding direction and vibrations created normal to the contact plane, where the sliding direction levels appear to be proportional to brake pressure according to Coulomb’s friction law; the vibration level in the normal direction of the contact plane on the other hand has behaviour proportional to Hertz contact theory. The measurements also indicate that the brake force created carried by the suspension system when braking will also alter the vibro-acoustic response of the system. To facilitate the theoretical simulations, an approach for modelling of the suspension system is developed. The vibro-acoustic transfer path model developed is using a modal based on the Craig-Bampton method where a restriction on the coupling modes is suggested. The approach suggested uses undeformed coupling interfaces, to couple structures of fundamentally different stiffness such as may be the case in a vehicle suspension system where for instance rubber bushings are combined with steel linking arms. The approach show great potential inreducing computational cost compared to the classical Craig-Bampton method. / QC 20110913

Orientador: Auteliano Antunes dos Santos Jr / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Engenharia Mecanica / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-12T19:38:01Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Antonio_SergioFranciscoDela_M.pdf: 2654431 bytes, checksum: a9d019fe7f3a17bc52fb361d8113f727 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2005 / Resumo: As cargas dinâmicas que ocorrem em veículos de carga quando estes estão em movimento, são fortemente responsáveis pela deterioração precoce do piso asfáltico das rodovias e logradouros no Brasil. Também são umas das principais responsáveis pelo desgaste excessivo e prematuro dos componentes do veículo. Estes dois fatores fazem com que os custos de transporte rodoviário no Brasil, de mercadorias e bens, fiquem mais elevados. O objetivo deste trabalho é avaliar uma metodologia para medir as cargas dinâmicas que ocorrem em veículos de carga. Na metodologia proposta, utilizou-se a própria suspensão do veículo como parte do sistema de medição, no caso, veículos com suspensão com feixes de molas. O sistema de medida das cargas dinâmicas é composto pelos feixes de molas e um transdutor de deslocamento. Gerou-se a curva de resposta do feixe de molas com relação aos deslocamentos ocorridos através da aplicação das cargas. Após os estudos preliminares, implantou-se este sistema na suspensão dianteira de um veículo de carga de porte médio. Estimaram-se as cargas dinâmicas em várias condições de piso com o veículo carregado, a partir dos deslocamentos medidos. Os resultados mostram que o sistema funcionou satisfatoriamente, e foi possível quantificar os níveis de cargas dinâmicas ocorridas em casos mais críticos. O maior nível encontrado foi de 33,9% acima da carga estática no lado esquerdo da suspensão dianteira, no trecho com lombadas. / Abstract: The dynamical loads and forces occurring in cargo vehicles under movement are among the major causes of the early deterioration on highway and road pavement in Brazil. These dynamical loads are also responsible for the premature and excessive wear on several vehicle components. These two factors combined are among the main reasons why road transportation costs are so expensive in Brazil. The objective of this work is to suggest and evaluate a methodology for measuring the dynamical loads and forces on moving cargo vehicles. This methodology utilizes the suspension system of the vehicle itself as part of the measurement system. In the experimental part of this study a force measuring system was conceived using the leaf spring assembly of the vehicle suspension combined with a simple displacement transducer strategically installed in the vehicle suspension. This force measuring system was installed in a mid-range cargo truck. The characteristic curve of the suspension leaf spring set was determined by the application of static loads onto the vehicle. After calibration and fine adjustments of the system, several experimental runs were performed in the loaded vehicle, measuring the dynamic loads in several pavement types and traffic conditions. The results showed that the system worked satisfactorily, and it was possible to determine the dynamic loads occurred on all experimental runs. The greatest dynamic load found in the field was 33,9 % above the static load on the left front suspension. / Mestrado / Mecanica dos Sólidos e Projeto Mecanico / Mestre em Engenharia Mecânica

Magnetorheological (MR) dampers are adaptive devices whose properties can be adjusted through the application of a controlled voltage signal. A semi-active suspension system incorporating MR dampers combines the advantages of both active and passive suspensions. For this reason, there has been a continuous effort to develop control algorithms for MR-damped vehicle suspension systems to meet the requirements of the automotive industry. The overall aims of this thesis are twofold: (i) The investigation of non-parametric techniques for the identification of the nonlinear dynamics of an MR damper. (ii) The implementation of these techniques in the investigation of MR damper control of a vehicle suspension system that makes minimal use of sensors, thereby reducing the implementation cost and increasing system reliability. The novel contributions of this thesis can be listed as follows: 1- Nonparametric identification modelling of an MR damper using Chebyshev polynomials to identify the damping force from both simulated and experimental data. 2- The neural network identification of both the direct and inverse dynamics of an MR damper through an experimental procedure. 3- The experimental evaluation of a neural network MR damper controller relative to previously proposed controllers. 4- The application of the neural-based damper controller trained through experimental data to a semi-active vehicle suspension system. 5- The development and evaluation of an improved control strategy for a semi-active car seat suspension system using an MR damper. Simulated and experimental validation data tests show that Chebyshev polynomials can be used to identify the damper force as an approximate function of the displacement, velocity and input voltage. Feed-forward and recurrent neural networks are used to model both the direct and inverse dynamics of MR dampers. It is shown that these neural networks are superior to Chebyshev polynomials and can reliably represent both the direct and inverse dynamic behaviours of MR dampers. The neural network models are shown to be reasonably robust against significant temperature variation. Experimental tests show that an MR damper controller based a recurrent neural network (RNN) model of its inverse dynamics is superior to conventional controllers in achieving a desired damping force, apart from being more cost-effective. This is confirmed by introducing such a controller into a semi-active suspension, in conjunction with an overall system controller based on the sliding mode control algorithm. Control performance criteria are evaluated in the time and frequency domains in order to quantify the suspension effectiveness under bump and random road excitations. A study using the modified Bouc-Wen model for the MR damper, and another study using an actual damper fitted in a hardware-in-the-loop- simulation (HILS), both show that the inverse RNN damper controller potentially gives significantly superior ride comfort and vehicle stability. It is also shown that a similar control strategy is highly effective when used for a semi-active car seat suspension system incorporating an MR damper.

The main objective of this research is the development of a framework for the automatic generation of systems of kinematic and dynamic equations that are suitable for real-time applications. In particular, the efficient simulation of constrained multibody systems is addressed. When modelled with ideal joints, many mechanical systems of practical interest contain closed kinematic chains, or kinematic loops, and are most conveniently modelled using a set of generalized coordinates of cardinality exceeding the degrees-of-freedom of the system. Dependent generalized coordinates add nonlinear algebraic constraint equations to the ordinary differential equations of motion, thereby producing a set of differential-algebraic equations that may be difficult to solve in an efficient yet precise manner. Several methods have been proposed for simulating such systems in real time, including index reduction, model simplification, and constraint stabilization techniques. In this work, the equations of motion are formulated symbolically using linear graph theory. The embedding technique is applied to eliminate the Lagrange multipliers from the dynamic equations and obtain one ordinary differential equation for each independent acceleration. The theory of Gröbner bases is then used to triangularize the kinematic constraint equations, thereby producing recursively solvable systems for calculating the dependent generalized coordinates given values of the independent coordinates. For systems that can be fully triangularized, the kinematic constraints are always satisfied exactly and in a fixed amount of time. Where full triangularization is not possible, a block-triangular form can be obtained that still results in more efficient simulations than existing iterative and constraint stabilization techniques. The proposed approach is applied to the kinematic and dynamic simulation of several mechanical systems, including six-bar mechanisms, parallel robots, and two vehicle suspensions: a five-link and a double-wishbone. The efficient kinematic solution generated for the latter is used in the real-time simulation of a vehicle with double-wishbone suspensions on both axles, which is implemented in a hardware- and operator-in-the-loop driving simulator. The Gröbner basis approach is particularly suitable for situations requiring very efficient simulations of multibody systems whose parameters are constant, such as the plant models in model-predictive control strategies and the vehicle models in driving simulators.

The main objective of this research is the development of a framework for the automatic generation of systems of kinematic and dynamic equations that are suitable for real-time applications. In particular, the efficient simulation of constrained multibody systems is addressed. When modelled with ideal joints, many mechanical systems of practical interest contain closed kinematic chains, or kinematic loops, and are most conveniently modelled using a set of generalized coordinates of cardinality exceeding the degrees-of-freedom of the system. Dependent generalized coordinates add nonlinear algebraic constraint equations to the ordinary differential equations of motion, thereby producing a set of differential-algebraic equations that may be difficult to solve in an efficient yet precise manner. Several methods have been proposed for simulating such systems in real time, including index reduction, model simplification, and constraint stabilization techniques. In this work, the equations of motion are formulated symbolically using linear graph theory. The embedding technique is applied to eliminate the Lagrange multipliers from the dynamic equations and obtain one ordinary differential equation for each independent acceleration. The theory of Gröbner bases is then used to triangularize the kinematic constraint equations, thereby producing recursively solvable systems for calculating the dependent generalized coordinates given values of the independent coordinates. For systems that can be fully triangularized, the kinematic constraints are always satisfied exactly and in a fixed amount of time. Where full triangularization is not possible, a block-triangular form can be obtained that still results in more efficient simulations than existing iterative and constraint stabilization techniques. The proposed approach is applied to the kinematic and dynamic simulation of several mechanical systems, including six-bar mechanisms, parallel robots, and two vehicle suspensions: a five-link and a double-wishbone. The efficient kinematic solution generated for the latter is used in the real-time simulation of a vehicle with double-wishbone suspensions on both axles, which is implemented in a hardware- and operator-in-the-loop driving simulator. The Gröbner basis approach is particularly suitable for situations requiring very efficient simulations of multibody systems whose parameters are constant, such as the plant models in model-predictive control strategies and the vehicle models in driving simulators.

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.