13.

Vehicle Vibrations

853

x
a2

a1
m

m2

m1

y2

y1

FIGURE 13.9. A bicycle vibrating model of a vehicle.

Searching for the first-unit expression of u1 and u2 provides the following

mode shapes.
u1
u2

1
3.1729 103

1
=
0.157 58
=

(13.200)
(13.201)

Therefore, the free vibrations of the quarter car is

x =

xs
xu

n
X

ui (Ai sin i t + Bi cos i t)

i = 1, 2

(13.202)

i=1

1
=
(A1 sin 8.8671t + B1 cos 8.8671t)
3.1729 103

1
+
(A2 sin 55.269t + B2 cos 55.269t)
(13.203)
0.157 58

13.4 Bicycle Car and Body Pitch Mode

Quarter car model is excellent to examine and optimize the body bounce
mode of vibrations. However, we may expand the vibrating model of a
vehicle to include pitch and other modes of vibrations as well. Figure 13.9
illustrates a bicycle vibrating model of a vehicle. This model includes the
body bounce x, body pitch , wheels hop x1 and x2 and independent road
excitations y1 and y2 .
The equations of motion for the bicycle vibrating model of a vehicle are

854

13. Vehicle Vibrations

as follow.

m
x + c1 x x 1 a1 + c2 x x 2 + a2

+k1 (x x1 a1 ) + k2 (x x2 + a2 ) = 0

Iz
a1 c1 x x 1 a1 + a2 c2 x x 2 + a2
a1 k1 (x x1 a1 ) + a2 k2 (x x2 + a2 ) = 0

1 c1 x x 1 a1 + kt1 (x1 y1 )
m1 x

k1 (x x1 a1 ) = 0

m2 x
2 c2 x x 2 + a2 + kt2 (x2 y2 )
k2 (x x2 + a2 ) = 0

(13.204)

(13.205)

(13.206)

(13.207)

As a reminder, the definition of the employed parameters are indicated

in Table 13.1.
Table 13.1
Parameter
m
m1
m2
x
x1
x2

y1
y2
Iy
a1
a2

- Parameters of a bicycle vibrating vehicle.

Meaning
half of body mass
mass of a front wheel
mass of a rear wheel
body vertical motion coordinate
front wheel vertical motion coordinate
rear wheel vertical motion coordinate
body pitch motion coordinate
road excitation at the front wheel
road excitation at the rear wheel
half of body lateral mass moment of inertia
distance of C from front axle
distance of C from rear axle

Proof. Figure 13.10 shows a better vibrating model of the system. The
body of the vehicle is assumed to be a rigid bar. This bar has a mass m,
which is half of the total body mass, and a lateral mass moment of inertia
Iy , which is half of the total body mass moment of inertia. The front and
real wheels have a mass m1 and m2 respectively. The tires stiness are
indicated by dierent parameters kt1 and kt2 . It is because the rear tires
are usually stier than the fronts, although in a simpler model we may
assume kt1 = kt2 . Damping of tires are much smaller than the damping of
shock absorbers so, we may ignore the tire damping for simpler calculation.
To find the equations of motion for the bicycle vibrating model, we use

13. Vehicle Vibrations

855

x
a2

a1

m, Iy
k2

x2

c2

k1

m2
kt2

c1

x1

m1
kt1

y2

y1

FIGURE 13.10. Bicycle model for a vehicle vibrations.

the Lagrange method. The kinetic and potential energies of the system are
K
V

2
1
1
1
1
mx 2 + m1 x 21 + m2 x 22 + Iz
2
2
2
2
1
1
2
2
=
kt (x1 y1 ) + kt2 (x2 y2 )
2 1
2
1
1
+ k1 (x x1 a1 )2 + k2 (x x2 + a2 )
2
2

(13.208)

(13.209)

and the dissipation function is

2 1

1
D = c1 x x 1 a1 + c2 x x 2 + a2 .
2
2

(13.210)

r = 1, 2, 4

(13.211)

Applying Lagrange method

D
V
K
d K
+
+
= fr

dt qr
qr
qr
qr

provides the following equations of motion (13.204)-(13.207). These set of

equations may be rearranged in a matrix form
[m] x
+ [c] x + [k] x = F

(13.212)

x=
x1
x2

(13.213)

where,

m 0
0 Iz
[m] =
0 0
0 0

0
0
m1
0

0
0

0
m2

(13.214)

856

13. Vehicle Vibrations

a2 c2 a1 c1 c1
c2
c1 + c2
a2 c2 a1 c1 c1 a21 + c2 a22 a1 c1 a2 c2

[c] =

c1
a1 c1
c1
0
c2
a2 c2
0
c2

a2 k2 a1 k1
k1
k2
k1 + k2
a2 k2 a1 k1 k1 a21 + k2 a22
a1 k1
a2 k2

[k] =

k1
a1 k1
k1 + kt1
0
k2
a2 k2
0
k2 + kt2

0
0

F=
y1 kt1 .
y2 kt2

(13.215)

(13.216)

(13.217)

Example 488 Natural frequencies and mode shapes of a bicycle car model.
Consider a vehicle with a heavy solid axle in the rear and independent
suspensions in front. the vehicle has the following characteristics.
840
kg
2
= 53 kg
152
=
kg
2
= 1100 kg m2

(13.218)

= 1.4 m
= 1.47 m

(13.219)

= 10000 N/ m
= 13000 N/ m
= kt2 = 200000 N/ m

(13.220)

m =
m1
m2
Iy
a1
a2
k1
k2
kt1

The natural frequencies of this vehicle can be found by using the undamped
and free vibration equations of motion. The characteristic equation of the
system is

det [k] 2 [m] =

8609 109 8 1.2747 1013 6

+2.1708 1016 4 1.676 1018 2 + 2.9848 1019

(13.221)

13. Vehicle Vibrations

because

420
0
0 0
0 1100 0 0

[m] =
0
0
53 0
0
0
0 76

23000
5110
10000
13000
5110
47692
14000
19110
.
5

10000 14000 2.1 10

0
5
13000 19110
0
2.13 10

[k] =

857

(13.222)

(13.223)

To find the natural frequencies we may solve the characteristic equation

(13.221) or search for eigenvalues of [A] = [m]1 [k].
[A] = [m]1 [k]

54.762
12.167 23.810 30.952
4.6455
43.356
12.727 17.373

188.68 264.15
3962.3
0
171.05 251.45
0
2802.6

(13.224)

The eigenvalues of [A] are

1
2
3
4

=
=
=
=

37.657
54.943
2806.1
3964.3

therefore, the natural frequencies of the bicycle car model are

p
1 = 6.1365 rad/ s 0.97665 Hz
1 =
p
2 =
2 = 7. 412 4 rad/ s 1.1797 Hz
p
3 =
3 = 52.973 rad/ s 8.4309 Hz
p
4 =
4 = 62.963 rad/ s 10.021 Hz.
The normal form of the mode shapes of the system are

0.61258

0.7854

u1 =
8.2312 102
3.353 102

0.95459

0.28415

u2 =
2.6886 102
0.08543

(13.225)

(13.226)

(13.227)

(13.228)

858

13. Vehicle Vibrations

1.1273 102
6.3085 103

(13.229)
u3 =
3.9841 104
0.99992

6.0815 103
3.2378 103

(13.230)
u4 =

0.99998
4
1.9464 10
The biggest element of the fourth mode shape u4 belongs to x1 . It shows
that in the fourth mode of vibrations at 4 10.021 Hz the front wheel will
have the largest amplitude, while the amplitude of the other components are

u42
3.2378 103
=
X1 = 3.2379 103 X1
u43
0.99998

6.0815 103
u41
=
X1 = 6.0816 103 X1
u43
0.99998
u44
3.2378 103
=
X1 = 3.2379 103 X1 .
X2 =
u43
0.99998
X=

(13.231)
(13.232)
(13.233)

Example 489 Comparison of the mode shapes of a bicycle car model.

In Example 488, the biggest element of the first mode shape u1 belongs
to , the biggest element of the second mode shape u2 belongs to x, and
the biggest element of the first mode shape u3 belongs to x2 . Similar to
the fourth mode shape u4 , we can find the relative amplitude of dierent
coordinates at each mode. Consider a car starts to move on a bumpy road at
a very small acceleration. By increasing the speed, the first resonance occurs
at 1 0.97665 Hz, at which the pitch vibration is the most observable
vibration. The second resonance occurs at 2 1.1797 Hz when the bounce
vibration of the body is the most observable vibration. The third and fourth
resonances at 3 8.4309 Hz and 4 10.021 Hz are related to rear and
front wheels respectively.
When the excitation frequency of a multiple DOF system increases, we
will see that observable vibration moves from a coordinate to the others in
the order of natural frequencies and associated mode shapes. When the excitation frequency is exactly at a natural frequency, the relative amplitudes
of vibration are exactly similar to the associated mode shape. If the excitation frequency is not on a natural frequency, then vibration of the system
is a combination of all modes of vibration. However, the weight factor of
the closer modes are higher.

13.5 Half Car and Body Roll Mode

To examine and optimize the roll vibration of a vehicle we may use a half
car vibrating model. Figure 13.11 illustrates a half car model of a vehicle.