Implementation of a Practical Semi-Active Damper on a Combat Support Vehicle

High mobility combat support vehicles are used over the most demanding types of terrain. Key to their sucess is their off-road performance, particularly with respect to their ability to supply front line forces. Several factors limit their off-road performance including the driver's ability to endure the ride. Improving the ride through the use of intelligent suspension systems enables the vehicle to travel quicker over certain types of terrain. Previous research has identified semi-active suspension systems to have considerable potential for improving the performance of CSVs.

This paper describes the development of a practical semi-active suspension for use on the DERA 6x6 demonstrator, fig 1. The modelling presented in this paper shows that this technology reduces the accelerations experienced by the driver by typically 15%. This improvement enables the driver to use increased vehicle speeds whilst maintaining the same level of discomfort.