Title: Comparative study of steady-state handling performance of a vehicle with planar and conventional suspension systems

Authors: Jian Jun Zhu, Amir Khajepour, Ebrahim Esmailzadeh

Addresses: Department of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering, University of Waterloo, 200 University Avenue, West, Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3G1, Canada. ' Department of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering, University of Waterloo, 200 University Avenue, West, Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3G1, Canada. ' Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science, University of Ontario Institute of Technology, 2000 Simcoe Street North, Oshawa, Ontario L1H 7K4, Canada

Abstract: A planar suspension system (PSS) is a novel suspension system in which the rather stiff linkages in the longitudinal direction between the chassis and the wheels of a conventional suspension system are replaced by spring-damping strut. A vehicle with such systems can effectively isolate vibrations and absorb shocks induced by road obstacles along any direction in the wheel rotation plane. However, the longitudinal strut can induce changes in the wheelbase and the normal wheel loads at the front and rear wheels. Such changes can affect the steady-state tyre-ground adhesion/friction forces, and may further affect the steady-state handling behaviour of a PSS vehicle. This paper presents a comparative study of the steady-state handling performance of a vehicle with planar and conventional suspension systems. The handling behaviour of a vehicle with PSS, in terms of yaw velocity gain, lateral acceleration gain and curvature response in the steady-state, is investigated and compared with that of a similar vehicle with conventional suspension systems. The results demonstrate that the proposed concept of a PSS is feasible in terms of steady-state handling performance.

Keywords: steady-state handling; handling performance; vehicle handling; PSS vehicles; planar suspension system; vehicle suspensions; yaw velocity gain; lateral acceleration gain; curvature response.

DOI: 10.1504/IJVSMT.2010.038034

International Journal of Vehicle Systems Modelling and Testing, 2010 Vol.5 No.4, pp.273 - 291

Received: 15 Jul 2010
Accepted: 12 Sep 2010

Published online: 13 Jan 2011 *

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