A Mixed Frequency/Time-Domain Method to Evaluate the Performance of Semi-Active Steering Damper Control Strategies During Challenging Maneuvers

Abstract

This work presents the validation of control strategies for a semi-active steering damper aimed at improving the stability of two-wheeled vehicles by controlling the weave and wobble modes. A mixed frequency/time-domain method is introduced to evaluate the performance of the control strategies. The proposed cost functions allow one to evaluate the influence of the algorithms on the damping of the weave and wobble modes and also the overall performance in terms of stability of the steering assembly and of the chassis. The performance of the control algorithms is assessed on a multibody motorcycle simulator considering three challenging maneuvers that excite both the weave and wobble modes, such as kick-back and strong braking while cornering at high speed.