Yanhai Xu, Mehdi Ahmadian
Journal of Terramechanics, Volume 50, Issue 2, April 2013, Pages 121-132, ISSN 0022-4898 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jterra.2013.03.003.
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022489813000219
Abstract: Abstract
Tire normal force of a vehicle equipped with a variable stiffness and damping (VSVD) suspension system is studied via numerical simulation in this paper. The main purpose of the paper is to illustrate the effects of VSVD suspension system on the capacity of tire normal force. Firstly, a modified suspension system and its variable stiffness and damping characteristics are presented based on a conventional suspension system. With the application of adjustable suspension system in vehicle, the effects of equivalent stiffness of suspension system on vehicle performance are analyzed by the term of load transfer at tires when cornering. By using a reference model, a simple on/off control strategy is developed to improve normal forces at tires and a fuzzy control strategy to model Direct Yaw moment Control (DYC) based on yaw rate is also developed to show the required longitudinal force. Finally, numerical simulations are carried out to demonstrate the important role of VSVD in improving tire normal force and then ameliorating vehicle lateral stability. It is shown from the results that the normal force at tires can be increased through the application of VSVD suspension system. It also indicates that DYC would be much efficient when implementing this system.
Keywords: Tire normal force; Vehicle lateral stability; Variable stiffness and damping
International Society for Terrain-Vehicle Systems