Simulation of Flow-mode Performance Due to Harmonic and Abrupt Excitation

This paper discusses the performance of the suspension system that implements the flow-mode electrorheological damper in controlling the unwanted vibration caused by road surface irregularities. First, a mathematical model to determine damping coefficient of the damper was developed based on the fluid flow behaviour in the gap between two electrodes. To evaluate the performance, the system is then simulated in two kind of road excitation; abrupt excitation and harmonic excitation. The performance is characterised by the level of ride comfort and road handling. The passenger ride comfort asa evaluated by the force transmitted from the road to the passenger and by the vertical acceleration of the sprung mass, while the vehicle road haandling was evaluated by the wheel hop and the amplification ratio. The result showed that the system can obtain the best compromise between road handling and ride comfort by adjusting the electric field strength that is applied to the damper.