Vehicle System Dynamics 0042-3114/01/3506-409$16.

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2001, Vol. 35, No. 6, pp. 409415
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Swets & Zeitlinger
Power Spectral Density of Road Proles
B.R. DAVIS
1
and A.G. THOMPSON
2
SUMMARY
The road prole is usually considered to be a random process x(d), where x is the road height
and d is the distance along the road. As the vehicle travels along the road with velocity v, the
random process x(d) is converted to a random process x(t) which is input to the vehicle
suspension via the tyre. The random process x(d) is usually described in terms of its power
spectral density as a function of frequency in either radians or cycles per unit distance.
However, there are several different ways of dening power spectral density, and this makes it
difcult to compare published data without knowing how the power spectral density has been
dened. The proper calculation of RMS values of vehicle response for an assumed road power
spectral density is explained by an example.
1. RANDOM PROCESSES IN TIME
Consider a stationary zero mean random process x(t) with the dimensions of
distance (m). This can be characterized by its autocorrelation function:
R
xx
(() = x(t) x(t ()) = lim
T
1
T

T
0
x(t) x(t ()dt [m
2
[
where X) is the time averaging operation.
If f is the frequency variable in cycles per second (more commonly called
hertz (Hz) in the SI system of units), the `double sided' power spectral density
S
xx
( f ) [1] is the Fourier transform of R
xx
(().
S
xx
(f ) =

R
xx
(() e
j2% f (
d( [m
2
aHz[
1
Department of Electrical & Electronic Engineering, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA
5005, Australia.
2
Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA 5005, South
Australia.
R
xx
(() =

S
xx
(f ) e
j 2 % f (
df [m
2
[
The power spectral density has the property that if we integrate it over all
frequencies we get the mean square value of x(t)
x
2
(t)) = R
xx
(0) =

S
xx
( f ) df
If the frequency variable is dened in terms of radians per second 3 = 2%f ,
the power spectral density in terms of 3 is

S
xx
(3) =

R
xx
(() e
j3(
d( [m
2
sarad[
R
xx
(() =
1
2%

S
xx
(3) e
j3(
d3
x
2
(t)) = R
xx
(0) =
1
2%

S
xx
(3) d3
However some authors [2] use a different convention, whereby the power
spectral density
~
S
xx
(3) is given by
~
S
xx
(3) =
1
2%

R
xx
(() e
j3(
d( [m
2
sarad[
R
xx
(() =

~
S
xx
(3) e
j3(
d3
x
2
(t)) = R
xx
(0) =

~
S
xx
(3) d3
Hence we have
S
xx
( f ) =

S
xx
(2%f ) = 2%
~
S
xx
(2%f )
S
xx
(3a2%) =

S
xx
(3) = 2%
~
S
xx
(3)
Thus S
xx
( f ) and

S
xx
(3) are the same with the substitution 3 = 2%f , but
~
S
xx
(3) is smaller by a factor of 2% . The denition of the autocorrelation
function is the same in all cases.
However to add further confusion, because S
xx
( f ) is an even function of f ,
it is sometimes dened in its `single sided' formwhich is twice the value of the
`double sided' value. In calculating mean square values (as discussed below),
410 B.R. DAVIS AND A.G. THOMPSON
the integrals cover _ f _ for `double sided' power spectral densities,
and 0 _ f _ for `single sided' power spectral densities, and similarly with
3 as the frequency variable. In what follows we will assume double sided
power spectral densities.
If y(t) is another random process created by ltering x(t) with a time
invariant linear lter with impulse response h(t), then the frequency response
of the lter is
H ( f ) =

h(t) e
j 2% f t
dt
h(t) =

H(f ) e
j 2% f t
df
Again the frequency response can be expressed in terms of radians per second.
H(3) =

h(t) e
j3t
dt
h(t) =
1
2%

H(3) e
j3t
d3
In this case the 2% term must be associated with the second integral to give the
correct relation between the impulse response and the frequency response.
We can calculate the mean square value of y(t) as follows:
S
yy
( f ) = [H ( f )[
2
S
xx
( f )
y
2
(t)) =

[H ( f )[
2
S
xx
( f )df
2. RANDOM PROCESSES IN SPACE
With a road prole x(d), with d being the distance along the road, x(d) can be
characterized by an autocorrelation function R
xx
() = x(d) x(d )) , where
X) is now a distance averaging operation.
The power spectral density of x(d) via the Fourier transform of R
xx
() is
then expressed in terms of a frequency variable F in cycles per metre or
= 2%F in radians per meter. There does not seem to be any SI abbreviation
for the units of F as in the time domain.
SPECTRAL DENSITY OF ROAD PROFILES 411
Hence we have
S
xx
(F) =

R
xx
() e
j 2% F
d [m
3
acycle[
R
xx
() =

S
xx
(F) e
j 2% F
dF [m
2
[
or if the frequency variable is dened in terms of radians per meter

S
xx
() =

R
xx
() e
j
d [m
3
arad[
R
xx
() =
1
2%

S
xx
() e
j
d [m
2
[
~
S
xx
() =
1
2%

R
xx
() e
j
d [m
3
arad[
R
xx
() =

~
S
xx
() e
j
d [m
2
[
Much of the literature involving automobile suspensions assumes that the
power spectral density is of the form (although it is usually not clear whether it
is

S
xx
() or
~
S
xx
():
R
xx
() =
c
1
2A
e
[A[
[m
2
[
S
xx
(F) =
c
1
A
2
4%
2
F
2
[m
3
acycle[

S
xx
() =
c
1
A
2

2
[m
3
arad[
~
S
xx
() =
c
2
A
2

2
[m
3
arad[
where c
1
= 2%c
2
(m rad) is a road roughness coefcient and A(radam)
is a low frequency cut off. In many applications A is assumed appro-
ximately zero, although A exactly zero is inconsistent with a stationary
process.
With a constant vehicle velocity v, the distance and time variables are
related by d = v t and the frequency variables are related as 3 = v and
f = v p. The relations between the various quantities are:
412 B.R. DAVIS AND A.G. THOMPSON
x(t) = x(d = v t)
R
xx
(() = R
xx
( = v ()
S
xx
(f ) =
1
v
S
xx
(F = f av)

S
xx
(3) =
1
v

S
xx
( = 3av)
~
S
xx
(3) =
1
v
~
S
xx
( = 3av)
For the above case
R
xx
(() =
c
1
v
2a
e
[a([
=
%c
2
v
a
e
[a([
S
xx
( f ) =
c
1
v
a
2
4%
2
f
2

S
xx
(3) =
c
1
v
a
2
3
2
~
S
xx
(3) =
c
2
v
a
2
3
2
where a = v e(radas).
3. RMS VALUES
In studying the behaviour of linear systems excited by a random process x(t),
it is often useful to make use of the relationship between the results for this
and those for a system excited by a deterministic process. Such an analogy
may be used for the computation of RMS values, either theoretically or by
using a simulation.
If the linear system is excited by the random process x(t), the mean square
value of some output y(t) is
J = y
2
(t)) =

S
yy
( f ) df
=

[H ( f )[
2
S
xx
( f ) df
where H ( f ) is the transfer function from x(t) to y(t).
SPECTRAL DENSITY OF ROAD PROFILES 413
However, if the linear system is excited by a deterministic input x
1
(t), then
its output is
y
1
(t) =

x
1
(!) h(t !)d!
Y
1
( f ) = H ( f ) X
1
( f )
and the integral squared value of y
1
(t) is
J
1
=

y
2
1
dt
=

[Y
1
( f ) [
2
df
=

[H( f ) X
1
( f )[
2
df
where the equality of the time and frequency integrals is Parseval's Theorem
(although it also goes under other names as well).
The interesting fact to note is that if x
1
(t) is a deterministic process with a
Fourier transform which satises S
xx
( f ) = K [X
1
( f )[
2
we have
J = K J
1
For the road spectrum considered in the previous section, we consider a
decaying unit step input for which
x
1
(t) = u(t) e
at
X
1
( f ) =
1
a j2%f
[X
1
( f )[
2
=
1
a
2
4%
2
f
2
and hence K = c
1
v , giving J = c
1
v t
I
.
If H(0) = 0 then we can let a 0 and J (and J
1
) will converge to a nite
value. In this case we calculate y
1
(t) for an actual unit step input x
1
(t) = u (t),
and we have
J = c
1
v

H
y
P
I
(t) dt if S or

S is usedX
J = 2%c
2
v

H
y
P
I
(t) dt if
~
S is usedX
414 B.R. DAVIS AND A.G. THOMPSON
Hence the 2% factor is included if
~
S is used and omitted if S or

S is used.
By taking the square root of J we obtain the required RMS output for the
assumed random excitation x(t) at the tyre contact point with the road.
REFERENCES
1. Davenport, W.B. and Root, W.L. An Introduction to the Theory of Random Signals and
Noise. McGraw-Hill, New York, 1958.
2. Newland, D.E. Random Vibrations and Spectral Analysis. Longman, New York, 1975.
SPECTRAL DENSITY OF ROAD PROFILES 415