Random vibration fatigue loading occurs in automotive, aerospace, offshore and indeed in many structural and machine components. The analysis of these types of problems is often carried out using either time domain or frequency domain methods. Time domain rainflow counting together with Miner’s linear damage accumulation assumption is widely accepted as a method of rationalising stress amplitude and mean stress from random fatigue loading and the damage caused to the component. Frequency domain methods provide a faster alternative for the analysis of the same problem but the results are generally conservative compared to those obtained using time domain methods. This paper presents an artificial neural network (ANN) machine learning approach for the prediction of damage caused by random fatigue loading. The results obtained for ergodic Gaussian stationary stochastic loading is very encouraging. The method embodies rapid analysis as well as better agreement with rainflow counting method than existing frequency…
This paper investigates mathematical modelling and manufacturing of polymer composite Belleville springs, and their potential application. The original expression for load carrying capacity developed for metal springs is refined by considering the variation of elastic modulus and Poisson’s ratio of laminates in polar coordinates. A novel series spring stacking arrangement is proposed to achieve complex stiffness variation by progressive action. The experimental results show consistent effect of number of plies on the spring rate and compare well with the theoretical predictions. Although handmade, the variations in load carrying capacity is very small (~10%) confirming manufacturing viability. It is shown that a smooth, variable spring rate curve can be produced by reducing slip-stick frictional forces with the use of spacers within the spring stacks. In one application, the composite springs are shown to offer significant vehicle dynamic performance improvement through reduction of the tyre contact patch for…
The aim of this study is to measure and quantify perceived intensity of discomfort due to vibration in a vehicle in-situ considering complete vehicle dynamic behaviour. The shaker table based discomfort curves or the road test results may not accurately and universally indicate the true level of human discomfort in a vehicle. A new experimental method, using a seated human in a car on the four-post rig simulator, is proposed to quantify discomfort. The intensity of perception to vibration decreased with decreasing input and increasing frequency; the rate of change is different from the published literature; the difference is large for angular modes of inputs. Vehicle dynamic response is used to inform and analyse the results. The repeatability of the method and the fact that they are in-situ measurements may eventually help reduce reliance on the road tests. Furthermore, discomfort curves obtained, subsequently, can be used in predictive models.
The objective of this paper was to model random vibration response of components of an automotive lamp made of Polycarbonate/Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (PC-ABS), Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) and Polypropylene 40% Talc filled (PPT40) materials using a nonlinear hyperelastic model. Traditionally, the Rayleigh damping matrix used in the dynamic response analysis is constructed considering linear elastic behaviour based on either initial stiffness or secant stiffness. The performance of linear stiffness matrices is compared in this work with that based on the nonlinear hyperelastic, Mooney-Rivlin model, specifically addressing Rayleigh damping matrix construction. The random vibration responses of 10 samples of each material are measured. The mean square error of acceleration response was used to assess the effectiveness. Considering three materials of study, the hyperelastic model resulted in the reduction of the least square error at best by 11.8 times and at worst by 2.6 times. The Mooney-Rivlin materia…
Models of varying degree of sophistication are used in vehicle dynamic studies. For ride comfort, Kelvin-Voigt arrangement is preferred and for impact harshness analysis, a relaxation type suspension model, Zener or Maxwell type is used. The non-consideration of relaxation type models in ride comfort studies can result in significant errors for frequencies below ~30Hz. The object of the paper is to show the influence of the series stiffness on the effective suspension damping both experimentally and numerically. A frequency domain analysis of 2- DOF Zener quarter car model is performed to find the complex relation between effective damping coefficient and the limiting value of damping ratio for a given series stiffness. The nonlinear relation between shock absorber damping and the natural frequencies is clearly illustrated. A novel four post rig setup is used to validate the results by measuring transmissibilities, giving damping ratios for varying shock absorber settings. A closed form solution, based on a s…
The use of artificial intelligence especially based on artificial neural networks (ANN) is now prevalent in many fields of data analysis and interpretation. There have been a number of papers published in the literature on the use of ANN for fatigue characterisation. Most of these have however been developed for rather focussed application with limited capability for fatigue life prediction for a broad scope of material and loading conditions. The authors recently presented a uniquely generalised ANN model that is capable of making fatigue life prediction for a broad range of material fatigue properties and loading spectral forms. The model was developed using simulated data albeit subject to conceivable constraints between possible materials properties and load forms. This paper presents a validation of the ANN model using a Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) random fatigue loading experimental test data. The capabilities and potentials of the model are demonstrated by comparison with the SAE random load …
The current dynamic ride comfort mathematical models don’t use Maxwell arrangement of vehicle suspension occurring due to top mount and the discomfort weightings used are based on the shaker table tests which ignore the influence of vehicle dynamics, for example the effect of seat cushion. A refined integrated vehicle-occupant 10 degree of freedom model that includes top mounts is developed to estimate the occupant response to given harmonic input. The dynamic responses are combined with experimentally obtained in-situ discomfort indices for a car that incorporates the effects of features such as seat cushion. The Stevens power law parameters are estimated and compared with previous studies; the perception model is then used to predict discomfort index as a function of frequency. The influence of the relative stiffness of the top mount and suspension damping on the resonance frequencies is discussed. The acceleration in wheel hop mode can be ~ 3 times larger than that when top mount is not included. The influ…
A novel test rig for bending fatigue test that based on specimen resonant behaviour has been developed. Determining bending fatigue properties of polymer materials with the standard test systems is challenging, and in some cases results are unattainable. This is particularly true of polymers that exhibit a high level of non-linearity and large deflection. This novel test setup is similar to that of four point bending arrangement resulting in a simple support. The loading is achieved by inertial effect of small masses mounted on the test specimen. A vibration shaker is used to base excite the specimen at the first resonance frequency until it breaks. The proposed test setup reduces the time taken to obtain Stress v/s number of cycles (S/N) curves, typically 1/10th of the universal testing machine based approach. The effect of nonlinearities can be reduced by application of larger loads at higher frequencies using large acceleration and smaller deflection combination. The results based on the proposed approach …