Independent Suspension - Air Spring
Libraries:
Vehicle Dynamics Blockset /
Suspension
Description
The Independent Suspension - Air Spring block implements an air spring independent suspension with multiple axles and multiple wheels per axle. You can use the block to model suspension geometry, compliance, and damping effects from measured or simulated suspension response data
The block models the suspension compliance, damping, and geometric effects as functions of the relative positions and velocities of the vehicle and wheel carrier with axle-specific compliance and damping parameters. Using the suspension compliance and damping, the block calculates the suspension force on the vehicle and wheel. The block uses the Z-down coordinate system (defined in SAE J670). This table describes the settings you can specify for each suspension element.
Suspension Element | Setting |
---|---|
Axle |
|
Wheel |
|
The block contains energy-storing spring elements and energy-dissipating damper elements. It does not contain energy-storing mass elements. The block assumes that the vehicle (sprung) and wheel (unsprung) blocks connected to the block store the mass-related suspension energy.
This table summarizes the block parameter settings for a vehicle with:
Two axles
Two wheels per axle
Steering angle input for both wheels on the front axle
An anti-sway bar on the front axle
Parameter | Setting |
---|---|
Number of axles, NumAxl |
|
Number of wheels by axle, NumWhlsByAxl |
|
Steered axle enable by axle, StrgEnByAxl |
|
Anti-sway axle enable by axle, AntiSwayEnByAxl |
|
The block uses the wheel number, t, to index the input and output signals. This table summarizes the wheel, axle, and corresponding wheel number for a vehicle with:
Two axles
Two wheels per axle
Wheel | Axle | Wheel Number |
---|---|---|
Front left | Front | 1 |
Front right | Front | 2 |
Rear left | Rear | 1 |
Rear right | Rear | 2 |
Suspension Compliance and Damping
When you set the Model type parameter as
Mapped
, the block uses a lookup table that relates the
vertical damping and compliance to the suspension height, air spring pressure, and steering
angle. You can calibrate the wheel force lookup table so that steering angle changes from
the nominal center position generate a force that increases the vehicle height.
The block implements these equations.
The block assumes that the suspension elements have no mass. Therefore, the suspension forces and moments applied to the vehicle are equal to the suspension forces and moments applied to the wheel.
The block sets the wheel positions and velocities equal to the vehicle lateral and longitudinal positions and velocities.
The equations use these variables.
Fwza,t, Mwza,t | Suspension force and moment applied to the
wheel on axle |
Fwxa,t, Mwxa,t | Suspension force and moment applied to the
wheel on axle |
Fwya,t, Mwya,t | Suspension force and moment applied to the
wheel on axle |
Fvza,t, Mvza,t | Suspension force and moment applied to the
vehicle on axle |
Fvxa,t, Mvxa,t | Suspension force and moment applied to the
vehicle on axle |
Fvya,t, Mvya,t | Suspension force and moment applied to the
vehicle on axle |
Fz0a | Vertical suspension spring preload force
applied to the wheels on axle |
kza | Vertical spring constant applied to wheels on
axle |
kwaz | Wheel and axle interface compliance constant |
mhsteera | Steering angle to vertical force slope
applied at wheel carrier for wheels on axle
|
δsteera,t | Steering angle input for axle
|
cza | Vertical damping constant applied to wheels
on axle |
cwaz | Wheel and axle interface damping constant |
Rewa,t | Effective wheel radius for axle
|
Fzhstopa,t | Vertical hardstop force at axle
|
Fzaswya,t | Vertical anti-sway force at axle
|
Fwaz0 | Wheel and axle interface compliance constant |
zva,t, żva,t | Vehicle displacement and velocity at axle
|
zwa,t, żwa,t | Wheel displacement and velocity at axle
|
xva,t, ẋva,t | Vehicle displacement and velocity at axle
|
xwa,t, ẋwa,t | Wheel displacement and velocity at axle
|
yva,t, ẏva,t | Vehicle displacement and velocity at axle
|
ywa,t, ẏwa,t | Wheel displacement and velocity at axle
|
Ha,t | Suspension height at axle
|
Rewa,t | Effective wheel radius at axle
a , wheel t |
When you set the Model type parameter as
Physical
, the block calculates spring force as a function of
spring deflection.
The block calculates spring rate as a function of the effective area and the internal volume.
The equations use these variables.
p0 | Static operating pressure |
Aw | Effective area |
V0 | Volume in design position |
V | Volume gradient of the air spring |
s | Spring deflection |
X | Isentropic exponent |
Hardstop Forces
The hardstop feedback force, Fzhstopa,t, that the block applies depends on whether the suspension is compressing or extending. The block applies the force:
In compression, when the suspension is compressed more than the maximum distance specified by the Suspension maximum height, Hmax parameter
In extension, when the suspension extension is greater than maximum extension specified by the Suspension maximum height, Hmax parameter
To calculate the force, the block uses a stiffness based on a hyperbolic tangent and exponential scaling.
Anti-Sway Bar
Optionally, use the Anti-sway axle enable by axle, AntiSwayEnByAxl parameter to implement an anti-sway bar force, Fzaswya,t, for axles that have two wheels. This figure shows how the anti-sway bar transmits torque between two independent suspension wheels on a shared axle. Each independent suspension applies a torque to the anti-sway bar via a radius arm that extends from the anti-sway bar back to the independent suspension connection point.
To calculate the sway bar force, the block implements these equations.
Calculation | Equation |
---|---|
Anti-sway bar angular deflection for a given axle and wheel, Δϴa,t |
|
Anti-sway bar twist angle, ϴa |
|
Anti-sway bar torque, τa |
|
Anti-sway bar forces applied to the wheel on axle
|
|
The equations and figure use these variables.
τa |
Anti-sway bar torque |
θ |
Anti-sway bar twist angle |
θ0a |
Initial anti-sway bar twist angle |
Δϴa,t | Anti-sway bar angular deflection at axle
a , wheel t |
r | Anti-sway bar arm radius |
z0 | Vertical distance from anti-sway bar connection point to anti-sway bar centerline |
Fzswaya,t | Anti-sway bar force applied to the wheel
on axle |
zva,t | Vehicle displacement at axle
|
zwa,t | Wheel displacement at axle
|
Camber, Caster, and Toe Angles
To calculate the camber, caster, and toe angles, the block uses a lookup table, Galookup, that is a function of the suspension height and steering angle.
The equations use these variables.
ξa,t | Camber angle of wheel on axle
|
ηa,t | Caster angle of wheel on axle
|
ζa,t | Toe angle of wheel on axle
|
δsteera,t | Steering angle input for axle
|
zva,t | Vehicle displacement at axle
|
zwa,t | Wheel displacement at axle
|
Steering Angles
Optionally, you can input steering angles for the wheels. To calculate the steering angles for the wheels, the block offsets the input steering angles as a function of the suspension height. For the calculation, the block uses a lookup table, Galookup, that is a function of the suspension position and steering angle.
The equation uses these variables.
δwhlsteera,t | Wheel steering angle for axle
|
δsteera,t | Steering angle input for axle
|
zva,t | Vehicle displacement at axle
|
zwa,t | Wheel displacement at axle
|
Power and Energy
The block calculates these suspension characteristics for each axle,
a
, and wheel, t
.
Calculation | Equation |
---|---|
Dissipated power, Psuspa,t |
|
Absorbed energy, Esuspa,t |
|
Suspension height, Ha,t |
|
Distance from wheel carrier center to tire/road interface |
|
The equations use these variables.
mhsteera | Steering angle
to vertical force slope applied at wheel carrier
for wheels on axle
|
δsteera,t | Steering angle
input for axle |
Rewa,t | Axle
|
f_susp_dz_bp | Vertical axis suspension height breakpoints |
zwtra,t | Distance from wheel carrier center to tire/road interface, along the inertial-fixed z-axis |
zva,t, żva,t | Vehicle
displacement and velocity at axle |
zwa,t, żwa,t | Wheel
displacement and velocity at axle |
Ports
Input
Output
Parameters
Extended Capabilities
Version History
Introduced in R2023b