Analytical method to investigate the tolerance effects on the vehicle ride comfort

Abstract

Drivers are exposed to the vehicle vibration which mostly originates from the interaction between the road and the vehicle. Vibration can cause discomfort, fatigue, and sometimes even injury to a driver. So, the vehicle ride comfort is one of the most important performance indices to achieve a qualitatively excellent vehicle design. From the previous research works, it is obvious that the ride comfort is affected by various parameters of a vehicle model. Therefore, the effects of the parameters on the ride comfort need to be evaluated quantitatively based on the whole-body vibration of the vehicle. An analytical method to investigate the tolerance effects of major vehicle parameters on the vehicle ride comfort is proposed in this paper. The weighted RMS values of the acceleration PSD of a seat position are employed to define the ride comfort. The equations of motion and the sensitivity equations are derived based on a 5-DOF vehicle model.