Improvement in Ride Comfort and Vehicle Stability using Hybrid Semi-Active Suspension System

Vehicle vibration control must be implemented to fulfill the aims of sustainable environmental development and minimize human health risks. This article concentrates on the minimization of driver’s body vibrations by improving ride comfort and vehicle stability. The hybrid semi-active vibration control system with the combination of Magneto-rheological (MR) fluid and MR elastomer is presented to mitigate the biodynamic response to the vibration. The proposed hybrid model possesses the characteristics of controllable damping and stiffness. Additionally, fuzzy logic and PID controller are combined to regulate the current supplied to the damper. A quarter car model with a driver is considered to analyze the whole-body vibrations. The proposed model has been simulated for sinusoidal bump road excitation to test the ride comfort and vehicle stability. The results reveal that the seat suspension system with the proposed damper and controller outperforms the passive suspension system by reducing the RMS acceleration values below the ISO suggested values for comfort ride. © 2022, The Institution of Engineers (India).