Title: Analysis of the procedure for suspension evaluation of civil armoured vehicles: reliability and safety driving criteria

Authors: Ronald M. Martinod; German R. Betancur; Juan F. Mesa; Oscar M. Benavides; Leonel F. Castañeda

Addresses: Mechanical Engineering Department, Universidad EAFIT, Cra. 49 No. 7 Sur - 50, Medellín, Colombia ' Mechanical Engineering Department, Universidad EAFIT, Cra. 49 No. 7 Sur - 50, Medellín, Colombia ' Mechanical Engineering Department, Universidad EAFIT, Cra. 49 No. 7 Sur - 50, Medellín, Colombia ' Mechanical Engineering Department, Universidad EAFIT, Cra. 49 No. 7 Sur - 50, Medellín, Colombia ' Mechanical Engineering Department, Universidad EAFIT, Cra. 49 No. 7 Sur - 50, Medellín, Colombia

Abstract: The present study exposes an analysis of the suspension system technical state evaluation for civil vehicles that have been subject to armouring processes. Such evaluation is performed through a mechanised revision established by state regulation and is based on the method defined by EuSAMA. The development of this analysis focuses on establishing the existing relation between the ballistic resistance integrated to a vehicle and the dynamic effect exercised for the modification of its mass, according to two reliability/safety driving measurement criteria: (i) tyre-road adhesion index and (ii) tyre excitation phase angle. The study proposes new elements to the current procedure established to evaluate the suspension of civil armoured cars considering the two measurement criteria, which can be acquired by a standard commercial suspension tester machine.

Keywords: adhesion index; civil armoured vehicles; EuSAMA; phase angle; safety driving criterion; suspension systems; vehicle suspension; viscous damping ratio; vehicle safety; civil vehicles; reliability; ballistic resistance; vehicle dynamics; tyre-road adhesion index; tyre excitation phase angle.

DOI: 10.1504/IJVS.2013.055024

International Journal of Vehicle Safety, 2013 Vol.6 No.3, pp.254 - 264

Received: 13 Jul 2012
Accepted: 10 Oct 2012

Published online: 30 Sep 2014 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article