Handling performance of tractor-semitrailers equipped with hydraulically interconnected suspension

Abstract

This paper focuses on the contribution of a hydraulically interconnected suspension on the handling performance of a tractor-semitrailer. A hydraulically interconnected suspension model is integrated with a traditional tractor-semitrailer suspension for the purpose of study, and the hydraulically interconnected suspension system is first investigated through the bench test simulation to study its nonlinear and damping characteristic. Then a static rollover test, a steady-state circular test, a pulse steer input test, a pulse road input test and a random road input test are simulated in order to fully investigate the performance of a tractor-semitrailer with hydraulically interconnected suspension. The comparison analyses are conducted among two vehicles which are a fully loaded tractor-semitrailer without hydraulically interconnected suspension, an unloaded tractor-semitrailer without hydraulically interconnected suspension, a fully loaded tractor-semitrailer with hydraulically interconnected suspension and an unloaded tractor-semitrailer with hydraulically interconnected suspension. The obtained results show that the fully loaded tractor-semitrailer has enhanced handling performance, an improved steady-state rollover threshold and unchanged ride performance with the assistance of hydraulically interconnected suspension.

Keywords

Hydraulically interconnected suspension tractor-semitrailer handling performance roll over ride performance

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Stensson Trigell

Rothhämel

Pauwelussen

, et al. Advanced vehicle dynamics of heavy trucks with the perspective of road safety. Vehicle Syst Dyn 2017; 55: 1572–1617.

Smith

Zhang

Hydraulically interconnected vehicle suspension: handling performance. Vehicle Syst Dyn 2011; 49: 87–106.

Heyring

CB.

Vehicle suspension system. Patent WO19 95011814A1, AU, 1995.

Wilde

Heydinger

Guenther

DA.

ADAMS simulation of ride and handling performance of the Kinetic^TM suspension system. SAE paper 2006-01-1972, 2006.

Smith

WA.

An investigation into the dynamics of vehicles with hydraulically interconnected suspensions. PhD Thesis, The University of Technology, Sydney, NSW, Australia, 2009.

Verma

Modeling, simulation and design space exploration of a MTV 5.0 ton cargo truck in MSC-ADAMS. Master’s Thesis, The Ohio State University, Columbia, OH, 2004.

ISO 16333:2011. Heavy commercial vehicles and buses – steady-state rollover threshold – tilt-table test methods.

ISO 4138:2012. Passenger cars – steady-state circular driving behaviour – open-loop test methods.

ISO 14793:2011. Road vehicles – heavy commercial vehicles and buses – lateral transientresponse test methods.

10.

Abe

Vehicle handling dynamics: theory and application. 2nd ed. Oxford, UK and Waltham, MA, USA: Butterworth-Heinemann, 2015, pp.45–107.

11.

Hegazy

Rahnejat

Hussain

Multi-body dynamics in full-vehicle handling analysis. Proc IMechE, Part K: J Multi-body Dynamics 1999; 213: 19–31.

12.

Mimuro

Ohsaki

Yasunaga

, et al. Four parameter evaluation method of lateral transient response. SAE paper 901734, 1990.

13.

Zhu

Articulated heavy vehicle lateral dynamic analysis using an automated frequency response measuring technique. Int J Vehicle Perform 2015; 2: 30–57.

14.

Yarmohamadi

Berbyuk

Kinematic and dynamic analysis of a heavy truck with individual front suspension. Vehicle Syst Dyn 2013; 51: 877–905.

15.

ISO 8608:2016. Mechanical vibration – road surface profiles – reporting of measured data.

16.

Uys

Els

Thoresson

Suspension settings for optimal ride comfort of off-road vehicles travelling on roads with different roughness and speeds. J Terramechanics 2007; 44: 163–175.

17.

ISO 2631-1:1997. Mechanical vibration and shock – evaluation of human exposure to whole-body vibration – part 1: generalquirements.