OCTOBER 19-20, 2012 - YMCA University of Science & Technology

Proceedings of the National Conference on
Trends and Advances in Mechanical Engineering,
YMCA University of Science & Technology, Faridabad, Haryana, Oct 19-20, 2012
FUZZY CONTROL OF SEMI-ACTIVE QUARTER CAR SUSPENSION
SYSTEM WITH MR DAMPER
Devdutt 1 , Dr. M.L. Aggarwal 2
1 Research Scholar, YMCAUST, Faridabad
2 Professor, YMCAUST, Faridabad
1 Email: devdutt.fet@mriu.edu.in
Abstract
In present paper effectiveness of fuzzy controller in semi-active quarter car suspension system having magnetorheological
(MR) damper is studied. For experimental work, cyclic excitation is applied to an MR damper
prototype using MTS machine to generate Force- Displacement and Force-Velocity curves. A fuzzy controller is
designed, working on the feedback data, based on measurable sprung mass velocity and suspension velocity.
Finally, a quarter vehicle semi-active suspension model having MR damper is considered for comparative
analysis of simulation work under various road excitations to evaluate the performance of semi-active
suspension system with fuzzy controller compared to passive suspension system.
Keywords: Quarter car model, semi-active suspension, MR Damper, Fuzzy logic controller
Introduction
In today’s competitive industrial environment & customer’s high requirements related to ride comfort, vehicle
safety and road handling ability, automotive manufacturers are struggling hard to produce high quality vehicles
to meet customer’s expectations. Since vehicles having passive suspension system completely relies on the
working of non-controllable conventional components such as springs and dampers to control vehicle road input
vibrations during traveling. A good automotive suspension system needs to control the sprung mass movement
together with acceleration and generate minimum suspension deflection to keep tires in contact with the uneven
road surface. Hard spring and damper can provide better road holding ability to vehicle but passenger ride
comfort experience gets worse. Thus, these two conflicting requirements related to ride comfort and road holding
ability need to be controlled by the optimum design of concerned elements. Advanced technology related to
semi-active and active suspension systems is playing crucial role to fulfill the above said demands. Comparative
results related to supplied energy and working frequency range of the actuators for the three types of suspension
systems is shown in Fig. 1 as per [1].
Fig.1: Comparison between passive, adaptive, semi-active and active systems.
These advanced suspension systems fulfill the requirements up to maximum level by preventing the road induced
disturbances to affect the passenger’s ride comfort as well as provide smooth riding and good drive experience.
Thus, this latest technology related to vehicle suspension systems has attracted the industries and researchers in
the last few decades for commercial and scientific reasons. Practically, active suspension system is assembled
with sensors and actuators, maximizing its working performance but real world application of this concept is
restricted or limited due to expensive components and large power requirements. On the other hand, semi-active
suspension systems are attractive choice for industries due to less expensiveness and can provide comparable or
desired performance in place of active suspension related technology.
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