Abstract

Vehicle suspension design and dynamics analysis play a key role in enhancement of automotive system performance. Despite extensive developments in actively-controlled suspensions, their commercial applications have been limited due to the associated high cost and weight. Alternative designs in either passive or semi-active suspensions are highly desirable to achieve competitive vehicle performance with relatively lower cost and greater reliability. This dissertation research proposes two hydro-pneumatic suspension strut designs, including a twin-gas-chamber strut, and systematically investigates various concepts in roll- and pitch-coupled suspensions employing hydraulic, pneumatic and hybrid fluidic interconnections between the wheel struts. The proposed strut designs, including single- and twin-gas-chamber struts, offer larger working area and thus lower operating pressure, and integrate damping valves. Nonlinear mathematical models of the strut forces due to various interconnected and unconnected suspension configurations are formulated incorporating fluid compressibility, floating piston dynamics, and variable symmetric and asymmetric damping valves, which clearly show the feedback damping effects of the interconnections between different wheel struts. The properties and dynamic responses of the proposed concepts in roll- and pitch-coupled suspension struts are evaluated in conjunction with in-plane and three-dimensional nonlinear vehicle models. The validity of the vehicle models is demonstrated by comparing their responses with the available measured data. The analyses of the proposed coupled suspensions are performed to derive their bounce-mode, anti-roll, anti-pitch and warp-mode properties, and vehicle dynamic responses to external excitations. These include road roughness, steering and braking, and crosswinds. The results suggest that the fluidically-coupled passive suspension could yield considerable benefits in enhancing vehicle ride and handing performance. Furthermore these offer superior design flexibility. The suspension struts offer a large number of coupling possibilities in the three-dimensions, some of which however would not be feasible, particularly for commercial vehicles where suspension loads may vary considerably. A generalized analytical model for a range of interconnected suspensions is thus developed, and a performance criterion is formulated to assess the feasibility of a particular interconnection in a highly efficient manner. The handling and directional responses of a three-dimensional vehicle model employing X-coupled hydro-pneumatic suspension are evaluated under split-o straight-line braking and braking-in-a-turn maneuvers. The results clearly show that the X-coupled suspension offers enhanced anti-roll and anti-pitch properties while retaining the soft vertical ride and warp properties. Fundamental pitch and vertical dynamics of a road vehicle are also considered to derive a set of essential design rules for suspension design and tuning for realizing desirable pitch performance