Advanced Suspension Systems for Heavy Vehicles

Continuing demands for improving vehicle safety and ride comfort have resulted in the development of advanced intelligent damping systems. It is shown that with innovative use of electronic and damping hardware, cost effective solutions can be realized. This paper reviews certain state-of-the-art solutions currently available to heavy vehicle manufacturers.

The key hardware elements in an advanced suspension system are the force generating actuator and control valve. Examples are provided for both hydraulic (CDC-Continuous Damping Control) and pneumatic (PDC-Pneumatic Damping Control) solutions. Supporting elements include the system sensors and electronics, which provide the platform on which to incorporate the desired control concepts. It is shown how the design and optimization of these elements can be accelerated through the practical use of tools such as vehicle handling models.

Finally, test results quantify the achievable improvements of these advanced systems over conventional passive suspensions. These benefits are realistic both in terms of technical feasibility and cost.