Author : Surbhi Razdan , S.Y.Bhave and P.J.Awasare

This paper deals with active pneumatic suspension with control strategy based on mass flow control for a commercially manufactured small car. Two different control strategies based on mass flow control are presented. In the first model mass flow rate to the air spring is a function of difference in the velocities of the base and in second model mass flow rate is a sinusoidal function of frequency of excitation from the base. The models are simulated using MATLAB software corresponding to identical suspension parameters. The results of simulation for both models are compared. It is concluded that the active suspension using velocity feedback as the control strategy has lower transmissibility and hence better performance at resonance compared to passive suspension.

Keywords: Pneumatic suspension, active suspension, air spring, mass flow control, active control.

Article published in International Conference on Advances in Mechanical Sciences 2014, Special Issue-2 (Feb 2014)