THE ANNUAL SYMPOSIUM OF THE INSTITUTE OF SOLID MECHANICS

SISOM 2002
BUCHAREST May 16-17 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

DRIVER SEAT SEMI-ACTIVE VIBRATION CONTROL

Danut STANCIOIU*, Tudor SIRETEANU*, Charles W.STAMMERS**

ABSTRACT
The aim of the work reported here is to consider the vibration experienced by a tractor driver. A semiactive suspension with magnetorheological (MR) fluid damper is assumed to equip the tractor seat driver. Based on experimental data, a Bouc-Wen model for the MR damper behavior is obtained and the r.m.s. body acceleration response to a random displacement of the seat base is determined by numerical simulation for both optimum semi-active and passive suspensions.

1. INTRODUCTION The magnetorheological fluid dampers (MRD) is a fixed orifice damper filled with an MR fluid and has at lest one magnetic choke wrapped around the piston head. The use of MRD in semi-active vibration control has attracted large interest due to their simplicity, reliability and ability to describe the imposed control functions. The special properties of these devices lie in the behavior of the MR fluid. The variations of the current supplied to the magnetic coils produces variations in the damping force due to the rheological modifications supported by the MR fluid, which changes his state from liquid state to semi-solid state (Figure 1).

*Inst. of Solid Mechanics, 15 C.Mille str., 70701 Bucharest, Romania. **University of Bath, UK BA2 7 A

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In spite of this simple description, the modeling of the highly nonlinear behavior of an MRD seems to be a challenge. Both parametric models and have nonparametric
Figure 1. Schematic of MR fluid damper

been considered to describe the

experimentally observed behavior of MRD [1,3].

2. EXPERIMENTAL DATA For the experimental tests a RD1005 LORD MR damper has been used. This is a vehicle driver seat suspension damper. The force [N] vs. time [sec] response, force [N] velocity [cm/s] and force [N] displacement [cm] loops of the MR damper due to a 1.5 Hz sinusoidal excitation with amplitude of 1.6 cm are shown in figure 2, for 0.1, 0.6 and 1.75 amps current values. It is possible to see that using an almost 1.5 amps current variation, a 1300 N in damper force variation for 15 cm/sec velocity value, is obtained. Since for the considered MR damper the time to reach 90% of maximum level during a 0 to 1 amp step unit is less than 25 ms, time response will be neglected in case of studied system, which is working in low frequency range.

Figure 2. Experimentally measured damper response to a sinusoidal load.

Figure 3. Schematic of BW based model of MRD

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3. MRD MODEL SIMULATION A model that can simulate various hysteretic behaviors is the Bouc-Wen (BW) model [1,3]. The schematic of a theoretic model for MRD based on BW model is shown in figure 3.
! is determined by three parameters (, The BW model equation (1) for an imposed velocity x

and A). This case it is assumed they are independent on magnetic field variations.
! = x ! y y x ! y + A x ! y
2

(1)

The damping force for a variable magnetic field and an imposed motion x is determined by: ! , x , u ) = ( u ) y + c0 ( u ) x ! + K 0 (u ) x + f 0 F(x
(2)

where: u is the current/voltage control time function, c0 is the damping coefficient function, K0 is the spring elasticity function, (u) a function that determines the influence of the model on the final force value and f0 is a residual force due to the accumulator. Using the generalization of the Bouc-Wen model (2) for variable magnetic field, the experimental and predicted damping force responses to a sinusoidal imposed The a large
Figure 4. Force[N] versus time[s] response to an imposed sinusoidal motion and a rectangular-shaped control voltage [0-5V]; measured data(- -), predicted data(-), voltage(-).

displacement rectangular-shaped Bouc-Wen range of

and

an

control model field

voltage input are shown in figure 4. based magnetic response fit well the measured data on variation and different the MR damper. excitations,

portraying well the pre-yield region of

4. SEMI-ACTIVE SUSPENSION CONTROL By using a semi-active suspension with MRD, the transmissibility factor can be reduced over the entire range of practical interest [4]. This can be achieved by controlling the damping force as to balance as much as possible the elastic force, when these forces act in opposite sense, and by setting the damping force to a minimum possible value otherwise. According to 71

this control strategy, known as "balance-logic" control strategy, the force generated by the MRD is dependent on the relative displacement modulus [9]: ! , x) = F ( x ! , x, x u ( x ! , x)) F1 ( x ! , x ) [amps] is expressed by: where the current control function u ( x ! 0 2 if x x ! , x) = u( x ! >0 0 if x x
(4) (3)

In order to reduce "chattering" due to on-off command, a fuzzy logic controller using Sugeno inference systems was synthesized and tested by numerical simulation. In this context
! . The output of the input fuzzy variables are normalized relative displacement x and velocity x

! (t ), x (t )) [0, 2 A] and is supposed fuzzy inference system is the current control function u ( x to have two values: Small (0) and Big (2).

5. NUMERICAL SIMULATION In this section simulation results are presented for a three-degree of freedom system, simulating the driver-seat system of a tractor (Figure 6). This has been drawn from the work of Wei and Griffin [3]. The model adopted here consists of a light frame (m1) from which two masses m2 and m3 are suspended. As Wei and Griffin point out the masses cannot be identified with particular organs in the body, although for convenience they will be called "upper" and "lower" masses. The model has mechanical impedance similar to that of a human on a seat. A semi-active seat suspension is used. This consists of a spring with an MRD working in parallel. The damper force can be controlled by the supplied current variation (less than 2 amp) that changes the applied magnetic field, as described bellow.
Figure 6. Model of seat-driver system

The arithmetic mean of the r.m.s. accelerations

experienced by the "upper" and "lower" masses is considered the system output which must be minimized. By setting x = x1 x0 , the equations of motion are: 72

!3 = B3 ( x !1 x ! 3 ) + k 3 ( x1 x3 ) = f 3 m3 ! x !2 = B2 ( x !1 x ! 2 ) + k 2 ( x1 x 2 ) = f 2 m2 ! x !1 = F1 ( x ! , x, u ( x ! , x)) + k1 x f 3 f 2 m1 ! x

(5)

! , x, u ) is the MRD force, that can be modeled as a function of the relative where: F1 ( x !(t ) and the control voltage input u ( x ! , x ) which displacement x(t), the relative velocity ! x provides closed loop control via computer or PLC. The parameter is introduced in order to obtain a reduction of the force developed by the employed MR damper (RheoneticTM MR Damper RD-1005-3). This reduction, which can be achieved by a suitable positioning of the damper in the seat suspension, enlargement also of leads the to an control

current/voltage range. The parameters of the seat suspension damping

Figure 7. Input time history x0(t) [m] and power spectral density S0(f)[m2s]

subject

to

optimization

are

the

reduction ratio from equation (5)

and current gain (3). A sample of the random input x0(t) was determined numerically from measured power spectral density of the seat base acceleration in operating conditions. The first ten seconds of the time history and the power spectral density of the system excitation x0(t) are shown in figure 7. The excitation r.m.s. value is x0 = 0.02 m and system parameters are: m1 = 6 kg, m2 = 33.4 kg , m3 = 10.7 kg , k1 = 4500 N/m, k2 = 35776 N/m, k3 = 38374 N/m. B2 = 761 Ns/m, B3 = 458 Ns/m,

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Table 1. Numerical values for 25 seconds simulation

-2 ! !2 [ms ] x -2 ! !3 [ms ] x

! !2 + ! !3 x x
2

[ms-2]

Linear damper (B1=180 Ns/m) 3.06 3.23 3.14 Passive MRD (=0.36, u0=0.11A) 3.68 3.94 3.81 -1 FL control (=0.34, =3.5 m ) 2.20 2.75 2.48 The r.m.s accelerations of the lower and upper masses and their arithmetic mean, obtained for the optimum damping parameters, are given in table 1. The amplification factors determined as the ratio of the r.m.s. acceleration of the lower and upper masses to the r.m.s. sinusoidal acceleration input as function of the amplitude and frequency are shown in figures 6 and 7 for an imposed displacement amplitude of 0.025 m.

Figure 6. Frequency response function, upper mass, linear(-), FL(- -)

Figure 7. Frequency response function, lower mass, linear(-), FL(- -)

6. CONCLUSIONS Through the present study the following conclusions were obtained. The semi-active seat suspension with controllable MRD, can satisfactorily reduce the accelerations experienced by the tractor driver. By using fuzzy control strategies based on balance logic a reduction of about 25% compared to the optimum passive suspension is predicted. By using a semi-active seat suspension with MRD controlled by balance logic strategy, the acceleration frequency response of the driver body can be significantly reduced over the entire frequency range of practical interest. This is not possible to be achieved by using passive suspensions with either linear or non-linear damping characteristics. REFERENCES
1. Spencer, B.F., Dyke, S.J., Sain, M.K., Carlson, J.D., Phenomenological Model for Magnetorheological Dampers, J. Engrg. Mech., ASCE, vol.123, No.3, 1997; 2. L.Wei and M.Griffin, Mathematical models for the apparent mass of the seated human body exposed to vertical vibration, J. of Sound and Vibration, 212, 855-874,1998; 3. Sireteanu, T., St!ncioiu, D., Stammers C.W., Modelling of a Magnetorheological Damper, Revue of Romanian Academy Proceedings No.3, 2001; 4. T.Sireteanu, D.St!ncioiu and C.W.Stammers, Semi-active vibration control by use of magneto-rheological dampers, Revue of Romanian Academy Proceedings Series A, 1, 195-199,2000.

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