Full vehicle road testing of magnetorheological-based intelligent suspension for sport utility vehicles

Abstract Vibration control in intelligent vehicle suspension utilizing magnetorheological (MR) dampers has attracted increasing attention. However, a practical real-time controller with easy implementation for sport utility vehicles (SUVs) and experimental validation have not been fully developed. To address this issue, the present study proposes a novel control algorithm for SUVs equipped with double-wishbone MR-based intelligent suspension. This algorithm directly calculates the desired current for the MR suspension based on vehicle sensor signals, eliminating the need for a complex inverse model of the MR damper and associated force tracking challenges. Firstly, the working principle of MR suspension systems is discussed, followed by experimental investigations of the dynamic behavior of a manufactured MR fluid damper. Next, a controller designed to balance comfort and attitude compensation for full-vehicle vibration suppression is proposed. Its control effectiveness for vertical comfortability is validated by a quarter SUV with a double-wishbone MR damper, and finally its effectiveness for vertical and attitude mitigation is evaluated through comprehensive practical road testing of an SUV across various road profiles. The results demonstrate significant reductions in the vehicle body acceleration and the pitch and roll angles when utilizing the proposed controller. This study provides a straightforward control algorithm for mitigating vertical motion and improving the dynamic responses of SUVs with MR-based intelligent suspension systems.