Modeling, Analysis and Estimation of Vehicle Systems

Abstract

Ground vehicles are subject to random vibrations in the vertical direction due to stochastic guideway irregularities. The vertical motions of vehicles affect the ride comfort of passengers and goods as well as the ride safety. The ride comfort can be evaluated from the accelerations of the human body while the criterion on ride safety follows from the dynamic wheel loading. A thorough dynamical analysis of vehicle vibrations requires a mathematical modeling of the guideway roughness, the vehicle itself and the sensation of the human being. The resulting stochastic differential equations may be analysed by spectral density or covariance methods, respectively. However, it is often cumbersome and difficult to obtain reliable information on the parameters of the total dynamical system. Therefore, parameter estimation methods have to be applied in vehicle dynamics for improved results.