A Theoretical Model with Which to Safely Optimize the Configuration of Hydraulic Suspension of Modular Trailers in Special Road Transport

Model Predictive Control of a Semi-Active Vehicle-Mounted Vibration Isolation Platform

When conventional delivery vehicles are driven over complex terrain, large vibrations can seriously affect vehicle-loaded equipment and cargo. Semi-active vehicle-mounted vibration isolation control based on road preview can improve the stability of loaded cargo and instruments by enabling them to have lower vertical acceleration. A combined dynamic model including a vehicle and platform is developed first. In order to obtain a non-linear relationship between damping force and input current, a continuous damping control damper model is developed, and the corresponding external characteristic tests are carried out. Because some conventional control algorithms cannot handle complex constraints and preview information, a model predictive control algorithm based on forward road preview and input constraints is designed. Finally, simulations and real tests of the whole vehicle vibration environment are carried out. The results show that the proposed model predictive control based on road preview can effectively improve vibration isolation performance of the vehicle-mounted platform.

Accuracy Analysis of the Measurement of Centre of Gravity and Moment of Inertia with a Swing

Floating devices under wave and current loads are typically designed based on numerical methods followed by a validation with experimental investigations. This allows an independent check due to the comparison of two different modelling approaches based on different assumptions. At an early stage of the project, numerical simulations are based on theoretical (ideal) values of the centre of gravity (CG) and moment of inertia (MI). The building process of a scaled model results very often in a requested simplification of certain parts, which can influence the CG and also the MI of the scaled model. Knowing those discrepancies allows us to improve the comparability of both approaches but the measurement of those values is connected with either a higher uncertainty or a high level of effort. A significant improvement of such measurements can be reached by the deployment of a specific experimental set-up. This paper presents the classification of the newly designed swing with a high accuracy inertial inclinometer, which was verified by the marker-based motion capturing system. The achieved experiences are useful for the future use of the set-up as well as similar investigations. The comparison with the theoretical values for the swing as well as an example model showed very good agreements and a high accuracy of few millimetres for the CG and an error smaller 1% for MI.