Synthesis of a semi-active suspension seat for attenuation of Whole-Body Vibration and shock

In this study, two semi-active control algorithms are synthesised on the basis of the measured nonlinear force-velocity properties of a Magneto-Rheological (MR) damper, including the current-dependent hysteresis and post yield saturation. The control algorithms employ the well-known sky-hook control condition function, suspension travel limits and a modulation function to compensate for the switching discontinuities. The results show that the proposed semi-active control synthesis could help achieve improved shock isolation while retaining adequate control of continuous WBV. A Hardware-In-the-Loop (HIL) test and simulation platform are developed for tuning of the proposed semi-active controllers and validation of the analytical formulations.