Modeling and Operational Analysis of an Automotive Shock Absorber with a Tuned Mass Damper

Recently, the topic of energy dissipation efficiency of vehicle suspension dampers has become a research and engineering problem due to structural requirements of vehicle manufacturers and the introduction of electric/hybrid cars. By principle, any disturbances in the damping force generation process translate into pressure fluctuations to be then transferred to the body of the vehicle. The effect known as rattling within the damper engineering community is perceived as detrimental to ride comfort. To improve the performance of a vehicle damper several methods can be devised and used. One approach is to optimize the settings of the valves in the damper. The approach, however, often influences the force output of the damper. Another technique involves the application of add-on systems. One such system is the tuned mass damper concept originally developed by Frahm for structural engineering applications. In the paper the author proposes a damper concept equipped with an external/internal tuned mass damper component for improving the dynamic characteristics of vehicle dampers. The author presents modeling details followed by simulations of the damper with the tuned mass damper concept subjected to oscillatory inputs, and a critical analysis of the presented results.