This study proposes three different models, the negative stiffness structure
(NSS), damping structure (DS), and a combination of NSS and DS (NSDS), for the
traditional seat suspension (TSS) of the vibratory roller to improve the
driver’s ride comfort. A dynamic model of the vibratory roller established under
the condition of the vehicle working on an elastoplastic soil with poor terrain
surface is used to assess the performance of the NSS, DS, and NSDS. The
sensitivity effect of the design parameters of the NSS, DS, and NSDS on their
isolation efficiency is analyzed using the indexes of the root mean square (RMS)
of the driver’s seat displacement (zws
) and acceleration (aws
). The design parameters of the NSS, DS, and NSDS are then optimized
based on the multi-objective optimization method to fully evaluate their
isolation efficiency. Finally, the experimental study is carried out on the
vibratory roller to verify the research results. The research results show that
the sensitivity of the geometric dimension ratios, the stiffness parameter, and
the stiffness ratio of the NSS and NSDS greatly affect the
zws
and aws
, while the DS design parameters insignificantly affect the
zws
and aws
. With the optimized NSS, DS, and NSDS, the damping force generated by
the DS is very low compared to the restoring force generated by both the NSS and
NSDS. Thus, the DS embedded into the TSS is not effective in improving the ride
comfort of the vibratory roller. On the contrary, the NSS embedded into the TSS
has an obvious effect on improving the ride comfort of the vibratory roller. To
further improve the ride comfort of the vibratory roller, the TSS should be
embedded with an NSS while the damping coefficient of the TSS should be
optimized or controlled.