Prediction of the driver’s head acceleration and vibration isolation performance of the seating suspension system using the time and frequency domain modeling

Abstract

Abstract Long-time exposure to low-frequency vibration will negatively impact human health. A rapid biodynamic system modeling method has been proposed to study the human body’s response to the low-frequency vibration excitation in the whole vehicle environment. The sensitivity of design parameters of the seating suspension system to the vibration isolation performance will be studied. The dynamic model consists of a lumped parameter mass-spring-dashpot model of seven degrees of freedom (7DOF) and used for the prediction of the head acceleration in the time domain and peak transmissibility ratio in the frequency domain under a sinusoidal wave excitation and random road profile excitations of different road classes and vehicle speeds. A calculation formula has been established to predict the seat effective amplitude transmissibility (SEAT) from the transmissibility ratios and frequency weighting function of the ISO 8606, while the transmissibility ratios can be calculated from the frequency response analysis of the seven degrees of freedom system dynamic equations. The simulation results in the frequency domain have been verified by those in the time domain for the linear system assumption. The change trends of the driver’s head acceleration, SEAT value, and peak transmissibility ratio from the driver’s head to the seat base with respect to the stiffness and damping coefficients of the seat and cushion have been compared with and verified by one another. It is proved that in the vehicle system, individually, reducing the individual stiffness and damping coefficients of the seat structure, reducing the individual seat cushion stiffness, and increasing the individual seat cushion damping coefficient one by one will be able to reduce the driver’s head acceleration, peak transmissibility ratio, and SEAT value from the head to seat base, and improve the ride comfort. Simultaneously reducing the stiffness and damping coefficients of the seat and cushion will be able to reduce the driver’s head acceleration, peak transmissibility ratio, and SEAT value from the head to seat base and improve the ride comfort. The reduction effect of the driver’s head acceleration is more substantial under the Class E road profile of a large profile roughness than that under the other road classes.