The Virtual Prototype of a Mechatronic Suspension System with Active Force Control

The paper presents the virtual prototype of an automotive suspension system with force generator actuator. The active suspensions use sensors to measure the accelerations of sprung mass and unsprung mass, the analog signals from the sensors being transmitted to the controller, which communicates with the force actuator. In this way, the passenger comfort and car stability are simultaneously improved. The study is developed for a quarter-car model, which contains the guiding & suspension system of a front wheel. The virtual prototype of the active suspension is a control loop composed by the multi-body mechanical model connected with the dynamic model of the actuator and with the controller model. The digital platform used in the study integrates MBS (Multi-Body Systems) and DFC (Design for Control) software solutions. The numeric simulations have been performed considering a step input signal, the control strategy aiming to decrease the overshoot, without adversely affecting other performance indexes. Key-Words: Suspension, Active force control, Mechatronic system, Virtual prototype.