Ride comfort comparison between suspension modes : input towards designing difference threshold experiments during driving

Abstract

Ride comfort is an important topic for on- and off-road suspension design. Difference thresholds of whole-body vibration is important to determine perceptibility of changes in a vehicle’s dynamics. Difference thresholds can be used to guide ride comfort improvements. Difference thresholds have been estimated for vertical and multi-axial seat vibration in laboratory settings. In order to determine the applicability of these laboratory difference thresholds and/or to estimate difference thresholds during driving, it is required that changes can be made in the vehicle’s vibration that is transmitted to the occupants i.e. the stimulus. Ride comfort is quantified by the weighted vertical seat pad vibration and compared between four suspension modes of a vehicle over three roads from ten repeat runs. Significant differences in the median weighted vertical seat pad vibration were found between Mode 1 and the other three modes over Road 1 and Road 2. No significant differences were found over Road 3. The significant differences over Road 1 are in the range of the median relative difference threshold reported in literature. Over Road 2 the differences are below the reported 25th percentile relative difference thresholds. Some combinations of the suspension modes and roads result in ride comfort differences. The suspension mode and road combinations could be used to verify the applicability of available difference thresholds during driving.