active suyspension design project for military

[aesthetect]

i've done a bit of searching and found this (thread800-102241) thread on active suspension systems, namely the one from Bose.

my research group works on electromechanical actuators (robotics), which is essentially what the damper is replaced with, and are working on a proposal with Lockheed to develop more space and energy efficient active suspension rotary actuators for military vehicles (which actually have the absolute most to gain from such systems). i typically work on decision making control algorithms which, in this case, would be responsible for how successful the system is in filtering out harmonics. But im trying to get a feel for what has already been done. I know formula 1 has been used these systems in the past (present?), as they should be due to the immense performance potential... but i cant seem to find anytihng on them. i would think there would be a patent at the very least...

If anybody knows of any database, paper, patent, anything that has already been done along these lines please let me know... im chiefly interested in the mathematical framework that details the sensing/actuation but anything along these lines i would definitely be interested in seeing. I'm particularly interested in F1 documentation because they have so much money to spend and (thus) are the only application in which an active suspension design has been fully developed and integrated. cheers and thanks for any help! really is interesting stuff, im lucky to get to be working on it..

 

[CoryPad]

The Internet site for SAE International is a good place to search. Type in active suspension at this page:

http://www.sae.org/jsp/jsps/advancesearch.jsp

Also check through their Motorsports list:

http://www.sae.org/servlets/product?PROD_TYP=PAPER&PARENT_BPA_CD=GV&TECH_CD=MSPRT

Moog electrovalves were an integral part of the active suspension designs. Here is a press article from them. You may include them in your inquiries:

http://www.moog.com/Industrial/Newsletter/Article/-/issue_3013/story_667/

Regards,

Cory

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[Fabrico]

"Active off-road suspension" is kind of a misnomer. If speed is involved, you will have more than harmonics to deal with.

 

[GregLocock]

Lotus fitted active to a tank, I never saw it running.

Cheers

Greg Locock

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[StressedDave]

I was the project engineer on that Active Ride tank. It was an identical system to the Lotus car system - i.e. 4 active struts controlling the front and rear wheels, leaving the remaining three wheel stations each side passive (torsion bars with no dampers). We later retrofitted it with an active track tensioner. We weren't bothered with harmonics, just ride acceleration reduction at high speeds (relatively speaking) on rough terrain. It did work once we sorted the mechanical aspects out. Moog valves don't necessarily go hand in hand with the sort of engineering in military vehicles.

There's plenty of literature out there on the Lotus system, which was the one fitted to the F1 cars. Williams were using a 'slow' active system based on work by AP (that came from military vehicles too!). ISTR a lot of the papers on the subject were IMechE and FISITA rather than SAE.

 

[StressedDave]

Oh yes, the original US patent covering the system is Us patent no. 4,639,013.