A Semi-active Vehicle Suspension Control Strategy Based on Negative Stiffness Characteristics

Abstract

A suspension is an indispensable part of a vehicle. It is of great significance for passengers’ comfort and vehicle stability. This paper proposes a semi-active vehicle suspension model with negative stiffness, and analyzes the effect of negative stiffness characteristics upon vehicle response. When analyzing the performance of semi-active vehicle suspension, a quarter vehicle suspension model is established, and the space state model is built for numerical simulation. After contrasting and analyzing the response of semi-active passive suspension with negative stiffness and semi-active suspension controlled by Skyhook damping algorithm, we conclude that semi-active suspension with negative stiffness decreases the vibration speed of the vehicle body and the deflection of the tire in the low-frequency stage, and improves the smoothness and stability of the suspension. Hence, the negative stiffness characteristic is beneficial to improve the comfort and stability of the vehicle.