Measurement and analysis of US truck vibration for leaf spring and air ride suspensions, and development of tests to simulate these conditions

There is a significant amount of goods that are transported using tractor trailers. Most high-value products, such as electronics, highly perishable goods like fruits and vegetables and most retail consumer products, are shipped using trucks in North America. It is therefore important to measure and quantify the levels of vibration that occur inside this mode of transport as it pertains to damage. Vibration levels inside a tractor-trailer are a function of the road surface, the speed of the vehicle, the type of suspension and the structure of the trailer. The purpose of this study was to determine the levels of vibration as a function of trailer suspension at normal operating speeds in commercially used truck equipment, over 16 000 km of road surfaces in North America. Copyright (c) 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.