Title: Estimation of road transport vehicle dynamic characteristics using random decrement analysis and on-the-road vibration data

Authors: Daniel Ainalis; Vincent Rouillard; Michael Sek

Addresses: Centre for Transport Studies, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Imperial College London, UK ' College of Engineering and Science, Victoria University, 3033, Australia ' College of Engineering and Science, Victoria University, 3033, Australia

Abstract: This paper presents the application of a recently developed and validated approach to accurately estimate the sprung mass mode dynamic characteristics of road transport vehicles using only on-the-road vertical vibration response data during constant speed operation. A description of the developed analytical approach using the random decrement technique and the Hilbert transform is included. Three experimental case studies are presented, each using a different road transport vehicle travelling at various nominally constant operating speeds over different roads to demonstrate the ability of the on-the-road approach to practically estimate the sprung mass modal properties, namely natural frequency and damping. The estimated dynamic characteristics were compared with different experimental procedures currently in use, including response-only (transient), and excitation-response methods. The new method provides a simpler, cost effective, and practical approach to obtain reliable and realistic estimates of the sprung mass mode natural frequency and damping ratio.

Keywords: road vehicle vibration; frequency response function; random decrement; vehicle dynamics; random vibration; ride comfort.

DOI: 10.1504/IJVD.2018.096113

International Journal of Vehicle Design, 2018 Vol.76 No.1/2/3/4, pp.140 - 162

Accepted: 23 May 2018
Published online: 12 Nov 2018 *

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