ACTIVE CONTROL OF VEHICLE AIR CUSHION SUSPENSIONS

A PRIMITIVE VEHICLE SUSPENSION SYSTEM COUPLING A SIMPLE VEHICLE MODEL WITH A GUIDEWAY HAVING RANDOM IRREGULARITIES IS DEFINED. THE OPTIMUM LINEAR SUSPENSION WHICH MINIMIZES A LINEAR COMBINATION OF VEHICLE HEAVE ACCELERATION (A PASSENGER COMFORT INDEX) AND SUSPENSION-GUIDEWAY DISPLACEMENT (A MEASURE OF REQUIRED SUSPENSION STROKE LENGTH) IS SYNTHESIZED. THIS OPTIMUM SUSPENSION, WHICH IS INDEPENDENT OF SPECIFIC MECHANICAL, MAGNETIC, OR FLUID METHODS OF IMPLEMENTATION, WAS USED TO DETERMINE THE FORM OF ACTIVE CONTROL REQUIRED TO MAKE THE PERFORMANCE OF A FLEXIBLE SKIRTED AIR CUSHION SUSPENSION APPROACH THE OPTIMUM PERFORMANCE. THE OPTIMALLY COMPENSATED SUSPENSION ACCELERATION, FLEXIBLE BASE, AND GAP HEIGHT EXCURSIONS WERE COMPUTED AND COMPARED WITH THOSE OF OPTIMUM PASSIVE SUSPENSIONS. A REDUCTION IN ACCELERATION BY A FACTOR OF 2.7 IS POSSIBLE WITH OPTIMUM ACTIVE CONTROL. FINALLY, THE LIMITATIONS AND CONSTRAINTS IN IMPLEMENTING BOTH OPTIMUM AND SUBOPTIMUM CONTROL OF AIR CUSHION SUSPENSION WERE STUDIED USING A SMALL SCALE EXPERIMENTAL SUSPENSION. /AUTHOR/

• Supplemental Notes:
  • SER G
• Corporate Authors:

  J Dyn Syst, Measurement, Control Asme

  ,    
• Authors:
  • Hyllender, D A
  • Wormley, D N
  • Richardson, H H
• Publication Date: 1972-3

Media Info

• Pagination: p. 41-9
• Serial:
  • Volume: 94
  • Issue Number: 1

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Air cushion vehicles; Control; Linear systems; Mathematical models; Suspensions; Vehicle dynamics; Vehicles
• Uncontrolled Terms: Models
• Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors; Vehicles and Equipment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00223854
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Aug 7 1972 12:00AM