Experiment and Simulation Study on Static and Dynamic Stiffness of Automobile Seat Cushion

The ride comfort of automobiles is greatly affected by the static and dynamic characteristics of the seat cushion. To simulate these characteristics accurately and further provide reference for the optimization design of seat, the finite element models are established in this article. First, the static stiffness tests of the seat cushion and leather cover are performed, respectively, to expose their static characteristics. Then, the dynamic stiffness/damping test are carried out to evaluate the dynamic characteristic of the cushion. Third, simulation models (including static stiffness and dynamic stiffness models) are founded and calibrated based on the above test data. Finally, the consistency of simulation and experiment results is evaluated and quantified by introducing goodness-of-fit. The results indicate that (1) calibrated models built in this study can reflect the static and dynamic characteristics of the seat cushion accurately. (2) The proposed dynamic stiffness model can better predict the dynamic characteristic of the cushion, which can provide guidance for improving seat comfort. (3) The model constructed in this article can be further applied to subsequent models of seat-occupant coupling system (SoCS), which has practical significance for predicting and optimizing transmissibility in the future.