Evaluation of Tractor Ride Vibrations by Cab Suspension System

Abstract

HighlightsTractor ride vibrations were evaluated under various conditions according to type of cab suspension.Ride vibrations were measured on flat and bumpy roads using four tractors with different cab suspension types.Tractors with hydro-pneumatic suspension exhibited smaller ride vibrations than tractors with rubber mounts.Semi-active hydro-pneumatic control resulted in smaller ride vibrations than those resulting from passive control.Abstract. In this study, tractor ride vibrations were evaluated under various conditions according to the type of cab suspension, and the effects of different cab support methods on these ride vibrations were determined. Ride vibrations on flat and bumpy roads were measured using four tractors equipped with different cab suspension types and were analyzed based on ISO Standard 2631-1 for human exposure to whole-body vibration. The ride vibration values were evaluated using the weighted root mean square acceleration and fourth-power vibration dose value. The results confirmed that the tractor equipped with semi-active hydro-pneumatic cab suspension at the two rear positions yielded smaller ride vibrations than the tractors with rubber mounts at all four positions. Vibration reduction effects of up to 53.8% and 67.1% were yielded in the flat road test and bumpy road test, respectively. In addition, among the two tractors with hydro-pneumatic cab suspension systems, ride vibrations were reduced by approximately 7.1% in the tractor that used semi-active control as compared to the tractor that used passive control. Keywords: Hydro-pneumatic cab suspension, Ride vibration, Rubber mount, Whole-body vibration.