Electromagnetic, Thermal, and Dynamic Performance Analysis of Permanent Magnet Linear Synchronous Motor and MR Damper Integrated Active Suspension

Active suspension systems are crucial for enhancing ride quality and passenger comfort in vehicles because they can dynamically adjust their stiffness and damping characteristics. Significant studies have recently been conducted on corporations' and academic institutions' structural design of active suspension systems. Currently, hydraulic and electromagnetic systems make up the majority of active suspension types. Notably, hydraulic active suspensions exhibit a comparatively slower response time, whereas electromagnetic actuator-based active suspensions typically lack the capability to actively modify the damping force's characteristics. Therefore, we proposed an active suspension system that consists of a permanent magnet linear synchronous motor (PMLSM) and a Magnetorheological (MR) fluid damper. In our system, linear motors could provide fast and accurate force response, and the MR fluid damper provides fast and widely adjustable damping force, improving the vehicle's ride comfort and handling stability. Electromagnetic and thermal simulations validate our proposed system’s robustness: thrust analysis reveals an average thrust of 3383.82 N with 19.32% fluctuation, magnetic leakage is negligible, and the heat generation of the coil would not affect the regular operation of the suspension system. In addition, the dynamic behavior of the active suspension was simulated in MATLAB/Simulink and showed outstanding performance compared with passive suspension. In summary, our proposed active suspension system is a powerful and robust system that can enhance driving comfort and handling stability compared to traditional hydraulic and electromagnetic suspension.