Citation

Zhu JJ, Khajepour A, Esmailzadeh E. Veh. Syst. Dyn. 2012; 50(1): 19-41.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2012, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/00423114.2011.560271

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

To absorb the vibrations and shocks caused by road obstacles effectively in any direction within the wheel rotation plane, a planar suspension system (PSS), in which there are spring-damper struts in both the vertical and longitudinal directions, is proposed to improve the ride quality of a vehicle with such novel suspension systems. The longitudinal spring-damper strut in a PSS is considerably soft compared with the longitudinal connection in a conventional suspension. Consequently, the wheels in a vehicle with PSS can move forth and back with respect to the body. The dynamic behaviours of a PSS vehicle under some special conditions, such as a differential braking in which the braking torque applied to the wheels at two sides of an axle are uneven, may exhibit special characteristics. The directional stability of the PSS vehicle in such a case may be one of the major concerns. The dynamic performance of the PSS vehicle in the differential braking condition is thus necessary to be investigated. This paper presents the investigation results of the transient response of a vehicle with the PSS in such a case. The simulation results are also compared with those of a similar vehicle with conventional suspensions. The study demonstrates that the PSS vehicle is directionally stable in differential braking conditions. The dynamic behaviour of the PSS vehicle is generally comparable with that of a conventional vehicle.