RIDE COMFORT

INTRODUCTION

Ø  Vibrations in the range of 0-80Hz

Ø  Predominantly 0-25Hz

Ø  Vibrations in the range > 25 Hz

perceived as noise
Judgment on ride is subjective in nature
study of ride involves
Ø  Ride excitation sources

Ø  Basic mechanics of vehicle vibration

response
Ø  Human perception and tolerance of
vibrations
The ride dynamic system
 Excitation Sources
Ø  Road roughness
Ø  Tire/wheel assembly

Ø  Driveline excitation

Ø  Engine transmission

 Road Roughness
Ø  Random road profile due to practical limits
of precision to which the road surface can
be constructed and maintained
Ø  Also includes potholes

Ø  Description road roughness as elevation

profile along the length of road
Ø  Road undulation can be categorized on
broad band random signal
Ø  Described by profile itself or statistical properties
Ø  Elevation profile described in terms of power
spectral density function i.e, spectral density
(in2 / cycle/inch) Vs frequency(Hz) cycle/inch
(i.e, spatial frequency) which is the inverse of
wavelength.
Ø  Road undulations measured by length-speed
profilometer or fifth wheel bump integrators”
Typical spectral densities of road elevation
profiles
Ø  Marked periodicity related to fixed slab
length used in the construction of the road
Ø  Ride problem peculiar to a specific road,
but notion of average road problems can
be helpful in understanding the response
of a vehicle to road roughness.
Ø  Road roughness PSDs
νπ
ω

Ø  PSD for average road properties shown

below equation
Ø  Gz ν
( ) = Go[1+(ν 0 /ν )2]/(2π ν )2
Ø  Above equation in combination with a
random number sequence useful for
generating a road profile with random
roughness.
Ø  Deviation in elevation as vehicle moves
along the roads.
Ø  Roughness –vertical displacement input to
vehicles.
Ø  Excites ride vibrations.
Ø  Acceleration produced is used as
response of ride vibration.
Ø  For understanding vehicle dynamics,
roughness should be viewed as
acceleration input at wheels.
Ø  Elevation profile is transformed to acceleration
input having vehicle speed.
Ø  Spatial frequency(cycles/in.) speed(in./second)
= temporal frequency( cycle/s or Hz)
Ø  Viewed as acceleration input, road roughness
presents largest inputs at higher frequency and,
thus excites high frequency ride vibrations
Ø  Vehicles attenuation of this high frequency input
is an important aspect of the “ ride isolation”
obtained via the suspension
Ø  Viewing road roughness as as an
acceleration input , primary effect of speed
can be seen easily
Ø  At any given temporal frequency,
amplitude of input acceleration (speed)2
Ø  Considering harmonic road roughness,
Ø  z = A sin(2 πν x) = A sin( 2 πνVt)
where V= velocity of travel
2
Ø  ∂ z = -A ( 2πν V)2 sin( 2 πν Vt)
∂t 2
∴ Input acceleration α V2
Ø 
Ø  Road roughness input has been
considered as vertical input to the vehicle
that excites bounce and pitch motions
Ø  Difference in elevation between the left
and right road profile points represents a
roll excitation input to the vehicle
Ø  For most vehicles, roll occurs at a lower
frequency (0.5 to 1.0 Hz) than resonance
at bounce
Ø  Bounce is more dominant response
Ø  Consider vehicle with a roll natural
frequency of 1 Hz traveling at 8 ft/sec(30
m/s). Roll excitation in the road at 88 ft
wavelength(0.011 cycle/sec) will directly
excite roll motion. But all amplitude at the
frequency is 1/10 of vertical input.
Ø  ∴ Vehicle passengers will be more
conscious of bounce rather than roll
 Tire Wheel Assembly
Ø  Ideally
tire wheel assembly is soft and
compliant to absorb road bumps as part of
the ride isolation system
Ø  Ideally
it runs true without contributing any
excitation
Ø  Imperfections in the manufacture of tires,
wheels, hubs, brakes and other parts of
rotating assembly cause non uniformities
given below
v  Mass imbalance
v  Dimensional variations
v  Stiffness variations
Ø  These non uniformities cause variations in
the forces and moments at the ground
which in turn are transmitted to axle and
act as sources of ride vibrations
Forces present in Vertical (radial)
Longitudinal (tractive)
Lateral direction
Moments present
Overturning couple - about longitudinal axis
due to lateral and roll acceleration
Aligning torque – component of tyre moment
vector tending to rotate tyre about vertical
axis
Rolling resistance – component of tyre
moment vector tending to rotate tyre about
lateral axis
 Tyre wheel imbalance
n  Moment variations in the directions of overturning
moment (about longitudinal axis), aligning torque
(about vertical axis) and resistance moment (about
lateral axis) generally are not significant as
sources of ride excitation, though they can
contribute to steering system vibrations
n  Tyre wheel imbalance is a force rotating in the
wheel plane with radial and longitudinal excitations
n  Imbalance = m r ω 2
 Mass imbalance
Ø  Non uniform and asymmetric mass
distribution about the axis of rotation
causes dynamic imbalance in the vertical
and longitudinal directions
Ø  This creates overturning moment and
aligning torque at wheel rotational
frequency
Ø  Dynamic imbalance is most important on
steered wheels which may experience
steering vibrations
Radial spring model of tyre

Free length of springs establishes dimensional non-

Ø 
uniformities (Free radial runout)
Ø  Variations in compressed length at
nominal load determine rolling
nonuniformities (loaded radial runout)
Ø  Dimensional runouts in the wheel or hub
do not produce stiffness variations directly,
but may contribute to the free or loaded
radial runouts
Ø  Non uniformities in the tire-wheel
assembly generate excitation forces and
displacements at the axle of the vehicle as
the wheel rotates; constitutes a 1Xrpm
force
Radial force variations take the form illustrated below
Various harmonics of radial nonuniformities are functionally
equivalent to imperfections

Courtesy Gillespie
 RADIAL FORCES
Ø  Radial tire force consists of fundamental and
harmonics
Ø  Radial force variation not equal to run out X
stiffness of tire wheel assembly
Ø  It is 70 % of that magnitude since tyre partially
masks runout
Ø  Eccentricity produces 1st harmonic, ovality
second harmonic, triangular shape 3rd harmonic
and square shape 4th harmonic
Ø  ECCENTRICITY of tires, wheels and hubs
results in first-harmonic non uniformity
Ø  This produces radial and tractive excitations
on the axle at 1Xrpm of the wheel (10-15 Hz
at normal highway speeds)
Ø  Overall magnitude of nonuniformity depends
on magnitudes in individual components and
relative positions when assembled
Ø  Eccentricity in one component may partially
compensate for that in others when the high
and low points of different parts are matched
in assembly-common technique
 Higher-order radial variations
Ø  OVALITY results in radial and tractive force
excitation at 2Xrpm of wheel (20-30 Hz at
normal highway speeds)
Ø  Third harmonic is analogous to a tire with a
triangular shape, the fourth harmonic reflects
a square shape
Ø  Higher order variations in wheel are absorbed
by tyre
Ø  Such effects may arise from construction
methods
 Radial and Bias tyre
n  Radial tire allows the sidewall and the tread to function as two
independent features of the tire.
n  Thanks to the flexibility and strength of the tire, the tire
absorbs shocks, impact and bumps. The result is a better
ride and better operator comfort.
n  Bias tire consists of multiple rubber plies over lapping each
other. The crown and sidewalls are interdependent.
n  The overlapped plies form a thick layer that is less flexible
and more sensitive to overheating.
n  Due to the stiffness of the tire, it does not absorb bumps
on the ground. All impact and shaking is felt by the driver
and machine.
Radial and Bias tyres

Courtesy: www.bridgestone.co.in
Ø  Eg. A tyre with four plies of fabric material with
overlaps normally distributed around the
circumference of the tire has an additional
stiffness created at each of the overlap positions
resulting in a fourth harmonic force vibration
Ø  But higher order variations are substantially
absorbed by the tire
Ø  Magnitude of radial force variation is not a
function of speed, only frequency changes with
speed
Ø  Hence low speed measurements of radial force
vibration at a constant radius indicate the
magnitude of the force exciting ride vibrations
Ø  Alternately loaded radial runout can be
measured and transformed to radial force
variation knowing spring rate
Ø  Only the frequency is changed with speed
Ø  Exciting force is not equivalent to the
actual variation experienced at the axle as
the dynamic response of the vehicle can
greatly amplify the forces
 Tractive force
Ø  Tractive force variations are due to
dimensional and stiffness non uniformities
Ø  Due to eccentricity a longitudinal force is
involved and tractive force variation is
observed.
Ø  Its magnitude depends on the load carried
and the amount of eccentricity but it is
independent of speed
Ø  At higher speed, the wheel must accelerate and
decelerate in the course of a revolution because of
varying radius
Ø  Thus a tractive force at the ground and accordingly
at the hub must appear in order to produce the
acceleration
Ø  Magnitude = f ( longitudinal stiffness of the tire, the
rotational moment of inertia of the wheel)
Ø  Magnitude varies with speed; increases by a factor
of 5 over a speed range 5 to 60 kmph
Ø  Hence such forces are measured at high speeds
 Lateral force
Ø  Lateral force variations are due to
nonuniformities in the tire, but not directly
related to lateral runout
Ø  Force found to be independent of speed
Ø  First order lateral variations in the tires or
wheels or in the way they are mounted
cause wobble
Ø  Higher order lateral variations are
predominantly important in the tire only
( not in the wheel) and cause steering
vibrations
Ø  Imperfections in tires and wheels are
highly correlated; radial variations usually
accompanied by imbalance and tractive
force variations
Ø  Difficult to cure a tire related ride problem
w/o consideration of other nonuniformities
Ø  Tire play significant role in the noise
vibrations and hardness (NVH) of a motor
wheel
 ROTATING DRIVELIENE
EXCITATION
Ø  Driveline is often considered to be
everything from the engine to the driven
wheels i.e. driveshaft, gear reduction and
the differential in the drive axle and the
axle shafts connecting to the wheels
Ø  Driveshaft with its spline and the universal
joints has the most potential for exciting
the ride vibrations
Ø  Rear axle gearing and remainder of the
driveline are also capable of generating
vibrations in the nature of noise as a result
of gear mating reactions and torsional
vibrations along the driveline
Ø  However these occur at frequencies above
those considered as ride
Ø  Most frequent ride excitations are from
drive shaft
Ø  TYPICAL DRIVELINE ARRANGEMENT
(Courtesy: Gillespie)

Ø  In rear drive cars & short wheel base trucks, single-
piece shaft is used
Ø  In long wheelbase trucks and buses, multiple-piece
shaft with intermediate bearing is used
Ø  Excitations
to vehicle arise directly from
two sources- mass imbalance of the
driveshaft hardware and secondary
couples or moments imposed on the
driveshaft due to angulation of cross-type
universal joints
Mass imbalance of the drive shaft is due to
Ø  Asymmetry of the rotating parts
Ø  The shaft may be off-center on its
supporting flange or end yoke
Ø  The shaft may not be straight
Ø  Running clearances may allow the shaft to
run off centre
Ø  The shaft is an elastic member and may
deflect
Ø  Initialimbalance exists due to asymmetry
runouts & roughness results in vertical and
lateral forces
Ø  Forces at front support apply to
transmission
Ø  Those at back exert on drive axle directly
Ø  Imbalance force = mrω2 where ω is shaft
speed = wheel speed Χ numerical ratio of
final drive or wheel harmonic
 Secondary Couples
Ø  Secondary torque applied to the driveline
Ø  Magnitude and direction of secondary
couple is got from torques on universal
joint
Ø  When input torque varies during rotation
due to engine torque pulsations,
secondary couples vary accordingly
Ø  Secondary couple reacts as forces at the
support points of the driveline on the
transmission cross members and rear axle
Ø  These forces vary with the driveline rotation and
impose excitations on wheels
Ø  Torque variations arise from speed variations
and result in torsional vibrations in the driveline
as well as cause ride excitation forces on the
vehicle at 2nd harmonic of driveline frequency
with cross type universal joints
Ø  Torque variations may also act directly at the
transmission and rear axle
Ø  Torque variations at the axle generate
longitudinal vibrations in the vehicle
Ø  Torque variations at the transmission produce
excitations in the roll direction on the engine/
transmission assembly
n  SPECTRALMAP OF VIBRATIONS ARISING FROM
DRIVELINE AND TIRE/WHEEL
NONUNIFORMITIES
Ø  First,second and higher harmonics of tire/
wheel assemblies are evident in the
spectra
Ø  The ridge at 3.7 times the wheel rotational
speed corresponds to first drive line
frequency due to imbalance of driveshaft
and other components rotating at this
speed
Ø  2(driveline
frequency) = 7.4 Hz this is due
to torque variations in the drive shaft
arising from speed variations caused by
operating angles of cross type universal
joints
ENGINE VIBRATION
 Engine/Transmission
Ø  Serves as primary power source on
vehicle
Ø  Delivers torque to driveline

Ø  Source of vibration excitation on vehicle

Ø  Mass of engine + transmission

=substantial part of chassis & if used
correctly, can serve as vibration absorber
Ø  At crankshaft, torque delivered consists of
series of pulses corresponding to each
power stroke of cylinder
Ø  Flywheel acts as inertial damper along
with inertias and compliances in the
transmission
Ø  Torque output to the driveshaft = steady
state component + super imposed torque
variations
Ø  Torque variations acting through driveline
may result in excitation forces on vehicle
similar to those produced by secondary
couple from cross plate universal joints
Ø  Because of compliance of engine/
transmission mounts, system vibrates in
six directions –three translational
directions and three rotational axes
Ø  3 point mount is typically used with most
transverse engines today
Ø  Of all the directions of motions, most important
to vibrations is engine roll direction which is
excited by drive torque oscillations
Ø  Torque oscillations occur at engine firing
frequency as well as at sub-harmonics of that
frequency due to cylinder-to-cylinder variations
in torque
Ø  To isolate these excitations from the
vehicle body
Ø  Design a mounting system with a roll axis
that aligns with the engine inertial roll axis
Ø  Provide a resonance that is below the
lowest firing frequency
TYPE OF ENGINE BALANCE CONDITION

Four-cylinder inline Vertical force at twice engine rotational

frequency; can be balanced with
counter-rotating shafts.

Four-cylinder, opposed, Various forces and moments at

flat rotational frequency and twice
rotational frequency depending on
crank shaft arrangement
Six-cylinder inline Inherently balanced in all directions

Six-cylinder inline, two- Vertical couple generating yaw and

cycle pitch moments at the engine rotational
frequency; can be balanced.
Six-cylinder, 60-degree V Generates a counter-rotating
couple at rotational frequency
that can be balanced with
counter-rotating shaft.
Six-cylinder, 90-degree Generates yaw moment of twice
V(uneven firing) rotational frequency; can be
balanced with counter-rotating
shaft.
Six-cylinder, 90-degree Generates yaw and pitching
V(even firing) moments at crankshaft speed,
which can be balanced.
Also generates complex and
pitching moments at twice
rotational speed which are
difficult to balance
Eight-cylinder inline Inherently balanced in all
Ø  With proper design of mounting system,
mass of engine-transmission combination
can be utilized as a vibration absorber
attenuating vibrations to which the vehicle
is prone.
Ø  Generally mounting system is designed to
provide a vertical resonance frequency.
 “Smoothness of Engines !”
The number of cylinders is not the primary reason for
engine smoothness, another important factor is the way the
engine is constructed, if it is inline, V etc.

An Inline 2 Cylinder engine has Vibrations “twice” as bad as

a one cylinder engine since both the forces add-up !!
Other Types of Engines
The Inline Four Engine
 The V-6 Engine
V6 engines are inferior to inline 6 engines as far as
smoothness is concerned

V6 uses much less space, which helps saving costs in

other places and allows for front wheel drive
Crankshaft Vibration
References
 Suspension Isolation
Ø  Quarter Car Model
Ø  Effective stiffness of vehicle = ride
rate (RR) KsKt
RR =
Ks + Kt

without damping, bounce natural frequency

ω n = ( RR / M )
or fn = 0.159 ( RR / W / g )
damped natural frequency ω d = ω n 1 − ξ 2
Where C
ξ = C / Cc =
2 ksM
Ø  For good ride, ξ usually taken to be
taken between 0.3and 0.4
Ø  Since ωd ≈ ωn, ξ often used to
characterize the vehicle
undamped natural frequency versus static deflection
of suspension
Ø  Provision for larger deflections necessary
with lower frequency
Ø  Eg: 5 inches of stroke must be available to
absorb the bump acceleration of 1/2g with
out hitting the suspension stops.
Ø  On small compact cars, stroke may be
reduced to 5 or 6inches
Ø  Dynamic behaviour of quarter – car model

Ø  Newton’s second law for sprung and

unsprung masses applied to FBD of each
mass
 d 2Z dZ dZu
M 2
+ CS + KSZ = CS + KSZu + Fbs
dt dt dt
d 2 Zu dZu dZ
m 2
+ CS + ( KS + Kt ) Zu = CS + KSZ + KtZr + Fw
dt dt dt

From the above equations, amplitude

ratios can be found out.
Ø  Quarter car model useful to study the
dynamic behaviour in the vertical direction
only.
Ø  Vibrations on sprung mass due to low
toughness, radial forces from tyre/wheel
nonuniformities are vertical forces applied
directly to the sprung mass from onboard
sources may be found out.
Ø  Gain = (sprung motion motion)/(equivalent
input from road)
Ø  Sprung mass natural frequencies is just
above 1 Hz
Ø  Near 1 Hz A.R = fn(damping ) and A.R=
1.5 – 3 typically
Ø  Above resonance, the road inputs are
increasingly attenuated
Ø  In the range of 10-12 Hz, unsprung mass
of tyre/wheel assembly goes into a vertical
(hop) resonance mode
Ø  Sprung mass response to tyre/wheel
excitation is important
Ø  Input is excitation force at the axle due to
tyre/wheel assembly
Ø  Output is sprung mass acceleration
Ø  This response shows the vehicles are
most responsive to excitation from tire and
wheel and that nonuniformity force is
directly transmitted to the sprung mass.
Ø  Sprung
mass acceleration can be
obtained as
GZS ( f ) =| Hv( f ) |2 Gzr
where

GZS = Accleration PSD on the sprung mass

Hv ( f ) = response gain for road input
Gzr =Acceleration PSD of the road input
Ø  Example problem
Ø  Determine the front and rear suspension ride
rates for a 5.0 L Mustang given that the tire
spring rate is 1198 lb/inch the front suspension
rate is 143 lb/in and the rear is 100 lb/in also
estimate the natural frequencies of the two
suspensions when the front tires are loaded at
957 lb and rear tires are at 730 lb each.
The ride rates can be calculated as
K s Kt (143)(1198) lb
RR f = = = 127
K s + K t (143 + 1198) in
K s Kt (100)(1198) lb
RRr = = = 92.3
K s + K t (100 + 1198) in
The natural frequencies for the suspension can be calculated as
RR f g 127 lb / in × 386 in / sec 2
f nf = 0.159 = 0.159 = 1.14 Hz
W 957 lb
RRr g 92.3 lb / in × 386 in / sec 2
f nr = 0.159 = 0.159 = 1.11 Hz
W 957 lb
 SUSPENSION STIFFNESS
Ø  Given soft suspension spring is in series with stiff tire
spring, suspension spring predominant in deciding ride
rate and hence first natural frequency of system in
bounce
Ø  Since road acceleration inputs increase as frequency
increases, basic isolation achieved by keeping natural
frequency as low as possible.
Ø  Therefore for a vehicle given weight, it is desirable to use
lowest practical spring rate to minimize natural
frequency .
 n  Effect of acceleration transmitted to spring
mass can be estimated analytically by
approximating road acceleration input as
a function that increases as frequency2

ON-ROAD ACCELERATION SPECTRA WITH DIFFERENT SPRUNG MASS

NATURAL FREQUENCIES
Ø  Lowest acceleration occurs at the natural
frequency of 1 Hz. At higher frequencies
(stiffer suspension springs), the acceleration
peak in the 1 to 5 Hz range increases,
indicating greater transmissibility of road
inputs and the mean square acceleration
increases by several hundred percent.
Ø  Besides stiffer springs elevate wheel hop
frequency near 10 Hz, allowing more
acceleration transmission in high frequency
range.
n  While soft suspension spring is good for ride, practical
limits of stroke that can be accomodated within a given
vehicle size and suspension envelope constrain the
natural frequency for most cars to a minimum in the 1 to
1.5 Hz range.
n  Performance in ride is sacrificed for the handling benefits
of a stiff suspension which will have natural frequencies
in the range up to 2 or 2.5 Hz.
 LEAF SPRING SUSPENSIONS
n  Widely used in the automobile and railway industries
n  The simplest form is the single beam spring.

Single Leaf Springs have the following characteristics.

n  They are suitable for low and medium load forces

n  They have reasonably linear working characteristics

n  They have relatively low spring constant

n  They are long slender members with relatively low cross
section
n  They are relatively cheap
 Laminated (multiple) leaf spring
n  Laminated leaf springs provide a more efficient stress
distribution.
n  They are suitable for higher loading forces
n  They have theoretically linear working characteristics
(friction between the leaves causes hysteretic pattern of
the working curve)
n  Compared to single leaf springs they have relatively
higher spring constants (stiffness)
n  Laminated spings have high space requirements
compared to single leaf springs
n  They require regular maintenance (lubrication and
cleaning)
 The semi-elliptic spring

E = Young's Modulus (N/m2)

F = applied force (N)
t = thickness of leaf (m)
b = width (m)
L = length (m)
n = no. of leaves
δ = deflection (m)
σ = Bending stess (N/mm2 )) k = spring rate (stiffness) F/δ
(N/m
 SUSPENSION DAMPING
Ø  Damping in suspensions comes primarily
from the action of hydraulic shock
absorbers.
Ø  Suspension absorbs the shock and shock
absorber’s function then is to dissipate the
energy put into the system by the bump
 EFFECT OF DAMPING
Ø  Low damping causes high response at 1
Hz causing amplification of long
undulations in road way.
Ø  But at all frequency> resonance frequency
high attenuation achieved.
Ø  But 40% damping ratio curve reasonably
representative of most cars,
Ø  Here amplification at resonance is ≅1.5 to
2.
Ø  At 100% (critical) damping, 1 Hz bounce
motions of spring mass are well controlled,
but with penalties in the isolation at higher
frequencies.
Ø  At damping >critical for e.g 200%, damper
is so stiff that suspension no longer moves
and vehicle bounces on tyres resonating in
3-4Hz range.
Ø  Tailoring of shock absorber to achieve an
optimum performance is complicated
Ø  Shock absorbers not only have to achieve
desired ride characteristics, but also
improve road holding, i.e., good tyre to
road contact essential for good handling
and safety.
Ø  Achieved by making shock absorber non
linear element.
Ø  Damping in suspension jounce (compression) and
rebound (extension) direction is not equal.
Ø  Damping in jounce direction adds to the force
transmitted to the sprung mass when a wheel
encounters a bump, therefore it is undesirable to have
high damping in this direction.
Ø  Damping in the rebound direction on the other hand is
desired for the dissipation of the energy stored in the
spring from the encounter with the bump
Ø  Therefore typical shock absorbers are dual rate with
approximately 3:1 ratio between rebound and jounce
damping.
Ø  Since mid 1950s telescopic shock absorbers
have been used almost exclusively for damping
in automotive suspensions.
Ø  These absorbers are a piston-in-tube
arrangement with one end connected to the
sprung mass and other end to the axle or wheel
Ø  Two types of telescopic shock absorbers
available –twin tube and gas pressurized
monotube.
Twin tube & pressurized monotube shock
absorber
Ø  During compression and extension, piston
moves through the fluid in bore. Valves in
the piston restrict flow of fluid through the
piston creating the damping force.
Ø  In twin tube shock, additional restriction
from valving in the base of the tube may
be used for further tailoring of the damping
behaviour.
Ø  Two types of valving used in combination
to produce desired characteristics.
Ø  Sample orifice valve generates damping
force which varies with the square of the
velocity- curve A
Ø  Designed to provide adequate damping to
control body motion at low velocities,
however yields too much damping at the
high velocities typical of high axle hop
motions
n  Second type of valving –blow off valve-
flow passage blocked by spring loaded
valve so that it prevents flow until a –
pressure is reached, when it allows blow-
off with damping force-curve b.
Ø  By combining orifice and blow off controls
in series and parallel arrangements, curve
c is obtained.
Ø  Shock absorber modeled as non-linear
element.
Ø  Force velocity characteristics may be
represented by polynomials or straight –
line segments approximating the curve.
 Active Control
Ø  In recent times, suspension with active
components have been developed.
Ø  Active components –hydraulic cylinders
that exert forces in the suspension on
command from an electronic controller
tailored to produce the desired ride
characteristics.
Three performance variables of interest
Ø  Vibration isolation-measured by the
sprung mass acceleration
Ø  Suspension travel-measured by deflection
of suspension
Ø  Tire load constancy-measured by
deflection of tire
 2
output PSD = input PSD | H (ω ) |
Let ψ = m / M mass ratio
rk = Kt / K s stiffness ratio
ξ s = Cs /(2 K s M damping ratio
ωu = Kt / M natural frequency of unsprung mass
rk = 5 ⇒ sports and performance cars
rk = 20 ⇒ luxury car with air suspension
Ø  For given stiffness ratio the vertical
acceleration varies with damping has an
optimum (the point of lowest rms
acceleration)
Ø  As damping increases, rms suspension
travel reduces, but sprung mass
acceleration increases.
Ø  Low damping allow quarter suspension
travel but increase rms acceleration
because of uncontrolled motion of sprung
mass at resonant frequency
Ø  Shaded area indicates practical range of
performance for passive suspensions.
Ø  In system with active control, force generator
present in place of suspension spring and
damper
Ø  Force quarter-hydraulic cylinder controlled by
an electric system
Ø  Electronics senses acceleration of sprung and
unsprung masses, suspension displacement
and tire radius (or load) and vary the price
linearly in proportion to any combination of
these state variables.
n  Optimization problem typically aims at
minimizing the vertical acceleration
keeping suspension travel as constant
n  At upper limit of the usable range of the
passive suspension, a ride improvement =
30% reduction in rms acceleration is
possible with an active suspension
Ø  Ifoptimization is constrained to a more
reasonable(20%) unsprung mass damping
ratio, but performance given by curve2
Ø  Only 10% reduction as correspond to
passive suspension
Ø  Benefits of active suspension obtained by
controlling sprung mass motions near its
resonant frequency
Ø  Effectivedamping of sprung mass bounce
mode achieved
Ø  At unsprung mass resonant frequency
suspension forces necessary to control the
wheel hop motions react against sprung
mass, and increase the sprung mass
acceleration
 Wheel Hop Response
Ø  Next to sprung mass, axles and wheels
are second largest masses capable of
separate resonances as rigid bodies
Ø  Hop made accelerations for all identically
sprung wheels having a vertical bounce
(hop) mode which is excited by road and
wheel nonuniformity inputs adding to the
vibrations present on the vehicle
Ø  Wheel hop frequency = fn( wheel/axle mass)
Ø  Unsprung mass will correspond to a weight that
is proportional to gross axle weight rating
(GAWR) or weight carried by axle
Ø  For nondriven axles, the weight, Wa = 10% of
the GAWR, whereas for drive axle, Wa =15% of
GAWR
Ø  Wheel hop frequencies higher than the sprung
mass resonance
Ø  Therefore sprung mass stationary during the
wheel hop
f a = 0.159 ( Kt + K s ) g / Wa
where :
f a = Wheel hop resonant frequency
Kt = Tire spring rate
K s = Suspension spring rate
Wa = Axle weight
wheel hop frequency is around 10 − 15Hz
Suspension Nonlinearities
n  In practice, suspension systems on many
vehicles are not really linear, but due to
friction in the struts and bushings or
interleaf friction in a leaf spring suspension
n  Typically ride motion quite small in
amplitude, involving only a fraction of an
inch of suspension travel
n  The area enclosed by a hysteresis loop for any
given excursion represents the damping energy
dissipated by the suspension.
n  Effective stiffness for small ride motions is
approximately 3 times grater than the nominal
stiffness of the spring.
n  In extreme cases, ride stiffness may be an order
of magnitude larger.
n  Therefore it is important to minimize further
levels in suspension struts and bushings to
achieve good ride.
 Rigid Body Bounce/Pitch Motions
Ø  Quarter car model does not incorporate
pitch
Ø  Longitudinal distance between axles
contributes to bounce
Ø  Pitch motions generally considered
objectionable primary sources of
longitudinal vibrations at locations above
the centre of gravity
Ø  Understanding the pitch and bounce motions is
essential because it is their combination that
determines the vertical and longitudinal vibrations at
any point
Ø  As the vehicle traverse a road, roughness excitations
at different axles is not dependent
Ø  Input to rear wheels same as that to front wheels, but
with a time delay
Ø  Time delay=(wheel base)/(speed of travel)
Ø  Time delay acts to filter bounce and pitch excitations
amplitudes, called wheel base filtering
The wheel base filtering mechanism
Ø  Assume vehicle has independent pitch and bounce
modes
Ø  Only bounce motion input occurs at wavelength
equal to wheel base of vehicle
= wavelength much larger than
wheel base
= short wavelength has an integral
multiple to the wheel base
Ø  Only pitch motion input occurs at wavelength = twice
the wheel base
Ø  Or any shorter wavelength that has an odd integer
multiple = twice the wheel base
Ø  Therefore wheel will be unresponsive in either
bounce or pitch to certain wavelength