On the Testing of Vibration Performances of Road Vehicle Suspensions

Both a test rig and a method are presented for the indoor testing of vibration performances of road vehicle suspension systems. A suspension (corner) has been positioned on a rotating drum (2.6 m diameter) placed in the Laboratory for the Safety of Transport of the Politecnico di Milano. The suspension system is excited by means of cleats fixed to the working surface of the rotating drum. The forces and the moments acting at the suspension-chassis joints are measured in the frequency range 0–120 Hz. Five special six-axis load cells have been conceived, manufactured, calibrated and employed. Transient wheel motions have been recorded. The influence of the vehicle speed on the relevant vibration performance indexes has been assessed. An approach for the identification of the suspension damping characteristics is introduced. A full and accurate characterization of a vehicle suspension system has been performed.