Time and frequency domain nonlinear system characterization for mechanical fault identification

Mechanical systems are often nonlinear with nonlinear components and nonlinear connections, and mechanical damage frequently causes changes in the nonlinear characteristics of mechanical systems, e.g. loosening of bolts increases Coulomb friction nonlinearity. Consequently, methods which characterize the nonlinear behavior of mechanical systems are well-suited to detect such damage. This paper presents passive time and frequency domain methods that exploit the changes in the nonlinear behavior of a mechanical system to identify damage. In the time domain, fundamental mechanics models are used to generate restoring forces, which characterize the nonlinear nature of internal forces in system components under loading. The onset of nonlinear damage results in changes to the restoring forces, which can be used as indicators of damage. Analogously, in the frequency domain, transmissibility (output-only) versions of auto-regressive exogenous input (ARX) models are used to locate and characterize the degree to which faults change the nonlinear correlations present in the response data. First, it is shown that damage causes changes in the restoring force characteristics, which can be used to detect damage. Second, it is shown that damage also alters the nonlinear correlations in the data that can be used to locate and track the progress of damage. Both restoring forces and auto-regressive transmissibility methods utilize operational response data for damage identification. Mechanical faults in ground vehicle suspension systems, e.g. loosening of bolts, are identified using experimental data.     

Semi-active hydro-gas suspension system for a tracked vehicle

A semi-active hydro-gas suspension is proposed for a tracked vehicle to improve ride comfort performance, without compromising the road holding and load carrying capabilities of the passive suspension. This is achieved through an active damper used in parallel with a gas spring. The suspension damper parameters are varied by a control mechanism based on sky-hook damping theory, which alters the flow characteristics. A damper prototype has been developed, tested for its flow characteristics, after which it has been integrated into an existing hydro-gas suspension system. An analytical model has been proposed from first principles rather than developing a phenomenological model based on experimental characteristics. This model is validated with experiments carried out on a suspension test rig. In order to compare the performance with the original passive system, an in-plane vehicle model is developed and the simulations clearly show that the semi-active system performance is superior to the passive system.     

Hydro-gas suspension system for a tracked vehicle: Modeling and analysis

Tracked vehicles fitted with torsion bar suspensions are limited in their ability to achieve high mobility. This limitation is due to the linear characteristics and the consequent poorer ride performance. Hydro-gas suspensions due to their inherent non-linear behavior can provide higher mobility and better ride comfort performance. The hydro-gas suspension model has usually been developed from experimental force-displacement characteristics, which requires availability of suspension hardware.In this paper, a hydro-gas suspension system is modeled using polytropic gas compression model to represent the spring characteristics, while the damper orifices are modeled using hydraulic conductance. The analytical model is then validated with experiments individually for spring and damper flow characteristics and then as a suspension-wheel assembly in a test rig. The validated suspension model is incorporated in an in-plane model. Using this model, simulation is carried out for sinusoidal inputs of different wavelengths, amplitudes and vehicle speeds. The simulation model is validated with data measured on a vehicle traversing an APG course. The proposed model agrees very well with the measured data. Based on the validated model, studies on the influence of suspension parameters on the ride comfort of a tracked vehicle are carried out.     

Time delay in a semi-active damper: modelling the bypass valve

Ride comfort and handling of off-road vehicles can be significantly improved by replacing the normal passive dampers in the vehicle suspension system with controllable, two-state, semi-active dampers. The hydraulic valve, which enables the semi-active damper characteristics to be controlled, is a critical component of a semi-active damper and has a marked influence on suspension performance. Models of the dynamics of a hydraulic bypass valve used on semi-active suspension systems for heavy vehicles were investigated. It is envisaged that similar models will eventually be incorporated into a full vehicle, three-dimensional simulation study. Valve response time (or time delay) is used as a measure of model accuracy because it is an important parameter in the performance of a semi-active damper. Models were created with AMESim, a commercial fluid power simulation environment, and MATLAB. AMESim was found to be capable of dealing with detailed and complex fluid power models. Attempts to solve models of similar complexity in the MATLAB environment were unsuccessful due to numerical stiffness. Experimental work was conducted to obtain dynamic performance data with which to validate model integrity. Several external factors influenced the valve behaviour during experiments. Test bench dynamics significantly influences results and obscures the absolute accuracy of the models and the experimental data. The investigation demonstrated an approach to creating fluid power models for this application that can be used in simulation, but also indicated that substantial effort is required in the process. The accuracy of the current model is not sufficient for design purposes.     

Optimal vehicle suspension characteristics for increased structural fatigue life

Heavy off-road vehicle suspension systems face unique challenges. The ride comfort versus handling compromise in these vehicles has been frequently investigated using mathematical optimisation. Further challenges exist due to the large variations in vehicle sprung mass. A passive suspension system can only provide optimal isolation at a single payload. The designer of such a suspension system must therefore make a compromise between designing for a fully-laden or unladen payload state. This work deals with suspension optimisation for vehicle structural life. The paper mainly addresses two questions: (1) What are the suspension characteristics required to ensure optimal isolation of the vehicle structure from road loads? and (2) If such optimal suspension characteristics can be found, how sensitive are they to changes in vehicle payload? The study aims to answer these questions by examining a Land Rover Defender 110 as test vehicle. An experimentally validated non-linear seven degree-of-freedom mathematical model of the test vehicle is constructed for the use in sensitivity studies. Mathematical optimisation is performed using the model in order to find the suspension characteristics for optimal structural life for the vehicle under consideration. Sensitivity studies are conducted to determine the robustness of the optimal characteristics and their sensitivity to vehicle payload variation. Recommendations are made for suspension characteristic selection for optimal structural life.     

Evolutionary algorithm-based PID controller tuning for nonlinear quarter-car electrohydraulic vehicle suspensions

The basic challenge associated with the design of vehicle suspension system is the attainment of an optimal trade-off between the various design objectives. This study presents the design of proportional-integral-derivative (PID) controller for a quarter-car active vehicle suspension system (AVSS) using evolutionary algorithms (EA) such as the particle swarm optimization (PSO), genetic algorithm (GA) and differential evolution (DE). Each of the EA-based PID controllers showed overall improvement in suspension travel, ride comfort, settling time and road holding from the manually tuned controller and the passive vehicle suspension system. These improvements were, however, achieved at the cost of increased actuator force, power consumption and spool-valve displacement. DE-optimized PID control resulted in the best minimized suspension performance, followed by the GA and PSO, respectively. Frequency-domain analysis showed that all the signals were attenuated within the whole body vibration frequency range and the EA-optimized controllers had RMS frequency weighted body acceleration of the vehicle within allowable limits for vibration exposure. Robustness analysis of the DE-optimized PID-controlled AVSS to model uncertainties is carried out in the form of variation in vehicle sprung mass loading, tyre stiffness and speed.     

Integration of uniform design and quantum-behaved particle swarm optimization to the robust design for a railway vehicle suspension system under different wheel conicities and wheel rolling radii

This paper proposes a systematic method, inte-grating the uniform design(UD)of experiments and quantum-behaved particle swarm optimization(QPSO),to solve the problem of a robust design for a railway vehicle suspension system. Based on the new nonlinear creep model derived from combining Hertz contact theory, Kalker's linear the-ory and a heuristic nonlinear creep model,the modeling and dynamic analysis of a 24 degree-of-freedom railway vehi-cle system were investigated.The Lyapunov indirect method was used to examine the effects of suspension parameters, wheel conicities and wheel rolling radii on critical hunting speeds.Generally,the critical hunting speeds of a vehicle sys-tem resulting from worn wheels with different wheel rolling radii are lower than those of a vehicle system having origi-nal wheels without different wheel rolling radii.Because of worn wheels, the critical hunting speed of a running rail-way vehicle substantially declines over the long term. For safety reasons,it is necessary to design the suspension sys-tem parameters to increase the robustness of the system and decrease the sensitive of wheel noises.By applying UD and QPSO,the nominal-the-best signal-to-noise ratio of the sys-tem was increased from?48.17 to?34.05 dB.The rate of improvement was 29.31%.This study has demonstrated that the integration of UD and QPSO can successfully reveal the optimal solution of suspension parameters for solving the robust design problem of a railway vehicle suspension sys-tem.     

基于分数阶磁流变液阻尼器模型的车辆悬架组合控制

磁流变液阻尼器的分数阶Bingham模型结构形式简单, 而且可以更好地描述系统的滞回特性. 建立了含有分数阶Bingham模型的单自由度1/4车辆悬架系统模型, 利用磁流变液阻尼器对在路面简谐激励下的非线性车辆悬架系统进行振动控制. 研究了含有分数阶Bingham模型的悬架系统在天棚阻尼半主动控制下的主共振响应, 利用平均法得到了系统的近似解析解. 求解了系统定常解的幅频响应方程, 并根据李雅普诺夫稳定性理论得到了悬架系统的稳定性条件. 通过绘制数值解和解析解的幅频响应曲线对比图, 验证了近似解析解的正确性. 利用簧载质量垂直方向的加速度均方根值分析了半主动控制对车辆乘坐舒适性的影响, 发现天棚阻尼半主动控制策略在低频激励区域反而会降低车辆的乘坐舒适性. 因此提出了一种被动控制与半主动控制相结合的组合控制策略, 并分析了半主动控制参数对振动控制效果的影响. 分析结果表明, 该组合控制策略不但能够提高车辆的乘坐舒适性, 而且能有效抑制悬架系统的主共振振动幅值.      

Damage detection method in complicated beams with varying flexural stiffness

A damage detection method for complicated beam-like structures is proposed based on the subsection strain energy method (SSEM), and its applicability condition is introduced. For a beam with the continuously varying flexural stiffness and an edge crack, the SSEM is used to detect the crack location effectively by numerical modal shapes. As a complicated beam, the glass fiber-reinforced composite model of a wind turbine blade is studied based on an experimental modal analysis. The SSEM is used to calculate the damage index from the measured modal parameters and locate the damage position in the blade model successfully. The results indicate that the SSEM based on the modal shapes can be used to detect the damages in complicated beams or beam-like structures for engineering applications.     

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本文建立了二自由度1/4车体液压悬架的数学模型，介绍了利用模糊控制工具箱设计汽车液压半主动悬架模糊控制器的方法，通过应用MATLAB/Simulink对比仿真，得出了具有模糊控制器的液压半主动悬架的控制效果明显优于被动悬架，为半主动悬架在车辆上的应用提供了成功的范例。     

Effectiveness evaluation of hydro-pneumatic and semi-active cab suspension for the improvement of ride comfort of agricultural tractors

Advances have been made to agricultural tractors to improve their ride comfort. However, the ride comfort of tractors is relatively low compared to that of passenger vehicles. Many researchers have developed various types of suspension for tractors. While most studies have focused on the geometry of the suspension, few studies have been carried out on the development of a control algorithm for tractor suspension.In this paper, to improve the ride comfort of an agricultural tractor, a hydro-pneumatic suspension model with a semi-active suspension control is developed with computer simulation, and the effectiveness of the suspension is evaluated before the vehicle is equipped with the suspension and placed into production.An optimal control algorithm for the semi-active suspension of the tractor is developed using a linear quadratic Gaussian. In the simulation, a hydro-pneumatic suspension system model is developed using SimulationX and is applied to a full vehicle model using MATLAB/Simulink. The suspension is assessed by experiments and simulations. The ride comfort using the ride comfort index according to ISO 2631 is evaluated by comparing a vehicle with a passive cab suspension to that with a hydro-pneumatic suspension applied with the semi-active control.     

基于数据驱动的全线控底盘纵臂式悬架系统研究

汽车在越野类极限路况下行驶,对车身高度有一定范围的调节需求,传统悬架方案与全线控底盘进行技术融合时,存在机构运动干涉、底盘升降过程中车轮外倾程度过大、车轮发生侧向位移等现象,易导致轮胎过度磨损,致使行驶失稳.将车身高度变化对轮胎侧向参数的影响转化为车轮纵向滚动,进而实现稳定的大行程车身高度调节,是解决上述问题的关键.本研究建立整车七自由度动力学模型,对悬架系统导向机构展开力学分析,集两者作为系统研究的输入信息;通过正弦波激振台对弹性元件、减振器进行相关特性参数获取,基于数据驱动开展一体化电动轮的运动学仿真测试,包括对悬架系统关键铰接位置进行力学性能分析、对电动轮整体结构进行运动学特性研究,以此定义系统关键性能指标,结合理论研究与仿真测试,确定双纵臂式主动悬架系统方案.仿真结果与实车验证综合表明,搭载本研究系统方案的全线控平台,进行大行程高度调节过程中,车轮外倾问题得到有效解决,一体化电动轮具备良好的独立运行能力,本研究对提高车辆在极限路况下的通过性具有重要意义.     

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在仿真研究1/4车体二自由度液压半主动悬架的基础上,设计了一种 用于1/2车体的液压半主动悬架的参数自整定模糊PID控制器,并利用模糊控制规则对 PID参数进行在线修改. 以正弦信号路面、脉冲信号路面和C级路面3种典型路面作为输入 信号,应用MATLAB/Simulink控制系统仿真软件对该半主动悬架模型进行的计算机仿真表明, 具有模糊PID控制器的半主动悬架在提高车辆乘坐的舒适性方面要明显优于一般的模糊控制 悬架,具有更好的自适应能力.     

A study of the hydraulically interconnected inerter-spring-damper suspension system

A new hydraulically interconnected inerter-spring-damper suspension (HIISDS) is developed to compensate for traditional passive suspension limitations, such as the imbalance of ride performance and handling stability. In this article, the structure and mechanism of the HIISDS system is briefly introduced at first, and compiled with hydraulically interconnected suspension (HIS) mode and hydraulic inerter-spring-damper (ISD) suspension mode. A vehicle dynamic model of HIISDS system is then derived through these two suspension modes by using Matlab/Simulink. Two different road excitations are used to validate the adaption of the two suspension modes. The effectiveness of HIISDS has been verified by simulation results, in which vehicle ride comfort and handling stability are effectively coordinated through the HIISDS model switch. Finally, an HIISDS suspension prototype is designed based on Simulink results, and test results reconfirm the partial performances of HIISDS modes effectively.     

On the impact of cargo weight, vehicle parameters, and terrain characteristics on the prediction of traction for off-road vehicles

A realistic prediction of the traction capacity of vehicles operating in off-road conditions must account for stochastic variations in the system itself, as well as in the operational environment. Moreover, for mobility studies of wheeled vehicles on deformable soil, the selection of the tire model used in the simulation influences the degree of confidence in the output. Since the same vehicle may carry various loads at different times, it is also of interest to analyze the impact of cargo weight on the vehicle’s traction.This study focuses on the development of an algorithm to calculate the tractive capacity of an off-road vehicle with stochastic vehicle parameters (such as suspension stiffness, suspension damping coefficient, tire stiffness, and tire inflation pressure), operating on soft soil with an uncertain level of moisture, and on a terrain topology that induces rapidly changing external excitations on the vehicle. The analysis of the vehicle–soil dynamics is performed for light cargo and heavy cargo scenarios. The algorithm relies on the comparison of the ground pressure and the calculated critical pressure to decide if the tire can be approximated as a rigid wheel or if it should be modeled as a flexible wheel. It also involves using previously-developed vehicle and stochastic terrain models, and computing the vehicle sinkage, resistance force, tractive force, drawbar pull, and tractive torque.The vehicle model used as a case study has seven degrees of freedom. Each of the four suspension systems is comprised of a nonlinear spring and a viscous (linear or magneto-rheological) damper. An off-road terrain profile is simulated as a 2-D random process using a polynomial chaos approach [Sandu C, Sandu A, Li L. Stochastic modeling of terrain profiles and soil parameters. SAE 2005 transactions. J Commer Vehicles 2005-01-3559]. The soil modeling is concerned with the efficient treatment of the impact of the moisture content on relationships critical in defining the mobility of an off-road vehicle (such as the pressure–sinkage [Sandu C et al., 2005-01-3559] and the shear stress–shear displacement relations). The uncertainties in vehicle parameters and in the terrain profile are propagated through the vehicle model, and the uncertainty in the output of the vehicle model is analyzed [Sandu A, Sandu C, Ahmadian M. Modeling multibody dynamic systems with uncertainties. Part I: theoretical and computational aspects, Multibody system dynamics. Publisher: Springer Netherlands; June 29, 2006. p. 1–23 (23), ISSN: 1384-5640 (Paper) 1573-272X (Online). doi:10.1007/s11044-006-9007-5; Sandu C, Sandu A, Ahmadian M. Modeling multibody dynamic systems with uncertainties. Part II: numerical applications. Multibody system dynamics, vol. 15, No. 3. Publisher: Springer Netherlands; 2006. p. 241–62 (22). ISSN: 1384-5640 (Paper) 1573-272X (Online). doi:10.1007/s11044-006-9008-4]. Such simulations can provide the basis for the study of ride performance, handling, and mobility of the vehicle in rough off-road conditions.     

Ride dynamics mathematical model for a single station representation of tracked vehicle

Tracked vehicles are exposed to severe ride environment due to dynamic terrain-vehicle interactions. Hence it is essential to understand the vibration levels transmitted to the vehicle, as it negotiates different types of terrains at different speeds. The present study is focused on the development of single station representation of tracked vehicles with trailing arm hydro-gas suspension systems, simulating the ride dynamics. The kinematics of hydro-gas suspension system have been derived in order to determine the non-linear stiffness characteristics at various charging pressures. Then, incorporating the actual suspension kinematics, non-linear governing equations of motion have been derived for the sprung and unsprung masses and solved by coding in Matlab. Effect of suspension non-linear dynamics on the single station ride vibrations have been analyzed and validated with a multi-body dynamics model developed using MSC.ADAMS. The above mathematical models would help in estimating the ride vibration levels of the tracked vehicle, negotiating different types of terrains at various speeds and also enable the designers to fine-tune the suspension characteristics such that the ride vibrations are within acceptable limits. The mathematical ride model would also assist in development of non-linear ride vibration model of full tracked vehicle and estimate the sprung mass dynamics.     

Bifurcation of piecewise-linear nonlinear vibration system of vehicle suspension

A kinetic model of the piecewise-linear nonlinear suspension system that consists of a dominant spring and an assistant spring is established. Bifurcation of the resonance solution to a suspension system with two degrees of freedom is investigated with the singularity theory. Transition sets of the system and 40 groups of bifurcation diagrams are obtained. The local bifurcation is found, and shows the overall character- istics of bifurcation. Based on the. relationship between parameters and the topological bifurcation solutions, motion characteristics with different parameters are obtained. The results provides a theoretical basis for the optimal control of vehicle suspension system parameters.     

高速列车磁流变半主动悬挂控制策略研究

为了提高列车运行平稳性,在经典的天棚控制和加速度控制的基础上,提出了一种新型混合控制策略,对高速列车磁流变半主动悬挂控制系统进行了仿真和实验研究.首先,对磁流变阻尼器(MRD)的力学特性测试分析,引入具有电流饱和特性的修正函数,建立了MRD的修正扩展双曲正切模型.然后,设计了面向列车平稳性的新型混合控制策略,通过分析车体加速度传递特性,比较了不同控制策略在全频域内的控制效果.此外,从相频特性的角度阐释了新型混合控制策略在全频段的控制优势.将MRD修正模型应用于悬挂控制,利用UM和Simulink软件建立了整车磁流变半主动悬挂控制系统联合仿真模型,分析不同控制策略对车辆动力学性能的影响.最后,构建了基于MRD的整车悬挂系统硬件在环实验台,通过开展硬件在环实验分析不同控制策略下的车体响应.结果表明,相比传统的控制策略,新型混合控制策略能兼顾低频段和高频段的振动控制效果,不仅可以提高列车的运行平稳性,而且不会恶化列车的运行安全性.硬件在环实验证明了新型混合控制策略的有效性,以及高速列车应用半主动控制悬挂的可行性.     

On the Testing of Vibration Performances of Road Vehicle Suspensions

Both a test rig and a method are presented for the indoor testing of vibration performances of road vehicle suspension systems. A suspension (corner) has been positioned on a rotating drum (2.6 m diameter) placed in the Laboratory for the Safety of Transport of the Politecnico di Milano. The suspension system is excited by means of cleats fixed to the working surface of the rotating drum. The forces and the moments acting at the suspension-chassis joints are measured in the frequency range 0–120 Hz. Five special six-axis load cells have been conceived, manufactured, calibrated and employed. Transient wheel motions have been recorded. The influence of the vehicle speed on the relevant vibration performance indexes has been assessed. An approach for the identification of the suspension damping characteristics is introduced. A full and accurate characterization of a vehicle suspension system has been performed.     

Optimal control of the dynamic stability for robotic vehicles in rough terrain

In this paper, we mount semi-active suspensions between the wheels and platform of a robotic vehicle to absorb the vibrations caused by movement over rough terrain. The semi-active suspension consists of a spring and a magneto-rheological damper. By combining the dynamic model of the suspended robotic vehicle and the control model of the damper, we propose a new methodology to evaluate the dynamic stability of the vehicle. The model considers the configuration of semi-active suspensions and the road-holding ability of robotic vehicles. Based on the stability criterion, we use the particle swarm optimization method to search the optimum semi-active damping characteristics. The control model of the semi-active damper is checked by sinusoidal response analysis. To verify the dynamic stability criterion and the control method, we evaluate the proposed methodology by simulating a rough pavement condition and comparing the effectiveness of the method to a passive suspension. The results show that the proposed stability criterion is feasible, and the optimal control method yields a substantially improved dynamic stability when the vehicle moves through rough terrain.