A Semi-Active Suspension Using ER Fluids for a Commercial Vehicle Seat

Abstract

This paper presents control performances of a semi-active suspension using ER (electro-rheological) fluids for a commercial vehicle seat. A cylindrical ER seat damper is designed and manufactured by incorporating Bingham model of an arabic gum-based ER fluid. After evaluating field-dependent damping characteristics of the ER seat damper, a sliding mode controller is formulated to control the seat vibration due to external excitations. The controller is then experimentally realized and controlled responses are presented in both time and frequency domains. In addition, a full-car model consisting of primary, cabin and seat suspensions is established and the hardware-in-the-loop simulation (HILS) is undertaken to demonstrate a practical feasibility of the proposed seat suspension system showing ride comfort quality under various road conditions.