Study on ride comfort of tractor with tandem suspension based on multi-body system dynamics

The aim of the paper is to report a systematic methodology which is used to evaluate and improve the ride comfort. An accurate model is necessary for further investigation and optimization. The vehicle dynamics model of tractor with tandem suspension is modeled and simulated in dynamics software ADAMS, which is redeveloped to add a function of automatic parametric modeling and simulation. The modeling methods of nonlinear characteristic components and various road excitation inputs, which can be simply seen as the implementation means for the model solution, are introduced. A new index called annoyance rate is presented to indicate the quantitative correlation between objective method and subjective comment. The quantitative correlation between them, which is quite different from the qualitative "comfortable" or "Uncomfortable- results attained by objective evaluation, can be defined by function and regarded as a basis to scientifically evaluate and improve the ride comfort. According to the request of performance-based design, the parameter sensitive analysis and structure optimization have been carried out to find the trade-off among ride comfort, maneuverability and safety. The approach has proved to be very effective for predicting and improving the ride comfort by experiment results. The methodology can be also used for any other specific category of vehicle. (C) 2007 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.