DESIGN AND ANALYSIS OF VEHICLE SUSPENSION SYSTEM

USING MATLAB AND SIMULINK

INTRODUCTION:
Recently the study of the vehicle dynamics is essential to design robust vehicles with better performance
for customer satisfaction. Ride Comfort (RC) and Road Holding (RH) are very important concern related
to vehicle suspension system. Modern trend is to design vehicle for safety and comfort is very important
concern. Driver seat is one of the main aspects to be considered while defining comfort in a moving
vehicle. The analysis is focused on driver seat because driver comfort is of main concern since it is the
most occupied seat in any vehicle and the occupancy is for longer duration.
Speed bumps and pot holes are the main cause of vehicle body vibration through wheel/tire assembly and
suspension system. Comfort of passengers gets affected by overshoot and settling time of vehicle under
vibration.The lifespan of an automobile vehicle decreases if proper suspension system is not designed.
There are basically three types of suspension systems passive, semi-active and active suspension system.
Passive suspension system consists of spring and damper coefficient. Damper acts as an energy
dissipating element while spring acts as an energy-storing element. Since these two elements do not add
energy to the system this kind of suspension systems are called passive. Parameters are generally fixed in
passive suspension system. Passive suspension system works as open loop control system. In Semi-active
suspension system spring element is retained, but the damper is replaced with a controllable damper
which requires small amount of external energy . It works as a closed loop control system.
Active suspension is a type of automotive suspension that controls the vertical movement of the wheels
relative to the chassis or vehicle body with an onboard system, rather than in passive suspension where
the movement is being determined entirely by the road surface. Active suspension is computer controlled
whereas passive suspension is just mechanical. Active suspension adjust itself a million times in a second
to achieve a constant ride height

PROBLEM DEFINITION AND OBJECTIVE:

a) To compare different types of suspension system like active suspension, passive suspension and
semi-active suspension and to find the best suspension system parameters in providing an
optimum driving comfort level
b) To find the natural frequencies and mode shapes of all the three suspension system
c) To investigate the vehicle passive suspension performance and its ability to provide good driving
condition by comparing the transmissibility ratios for different damping values. A mathematical
model for the vehicle suspension system is developed in order to simulate its dynamic
performance.
 METHODOLOGY AND ACTION PLAN:

a) Using Lagrange’s equations derive the governing differential equations of motions

b) Using MATLAB, obtain the natural frequencies of the system and the corresponding
mode shapes.
c) Verify the results in part (b) by building a SIMULINK model of the system. Simulate
each mode and show that the system oscillates at the respective natural frequencies.

REFERENCES

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