Abstract:
To enhance ride comfort, this study proposes a novel suspension control scheme for a half-vehicle system. The core innovation of this scheme lies in the distributed arrangement of nonlinear energy sinks (NESs), which involves strategically installing multiple NESs at the front body, rear body, and front and rear wheels. The dynamic equations of the half-vehicle system, coupled with NESs, are derived based on the Newton's second law. The approximate analytical solution of the system is obtained using the harmonic balance method, and the accuracy is rigorously verified through numerical simulations employing the fourth-order Runge-Kutta method. To thoroughly evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed scheme, the amplitude-frequency responses of three configurations are carefully analyzed: the original half-vehicle system, the system with NESs installed only at the front and rear of the vehicle body, and the system utilizing the proposed distributed control scheme. The results clearly demonstrate that the proposed approach significantly enhances vibration control performance compared to the other configurations. Additionally, the study systematically investigates the influence of key parameters, including NES mass, nonlinear spring stiffness, and damping, on the system's vibration reduction performance. The findings indicate that the distributed arrangement of NESs effectively controls vibrations of both the vehicle body and wheels without increasing the total mass of the NES. This configuration significantly improves ride comfort and safety. For wheel vibrations, increasing the NES mass enhances vibration reduction efficiency, whereas excessive increases in nonlinear stiffness or damping may lead to performance deterioration. For body vibrations, increasing the NES mass or reducing damping similarly improves vibration control, but excessive nonlinear stiffness may result in reduced performance. The proposed scheme not only offers an effective solution for vibration control but also provides valuable guidance for the design and optimization of vehicle suspension systems. Furthermore, it offers a solid theoretical foundation for the engineering applications of NES.