JOURNAL OF BATTLEFIELD TECHNOLOGY VOL 8, NO 3, NOVEMBER 2005 7

MATHEMATICAL MODELLING OF A HYDRO-GAS SUSPENSION UNIT FOR TRACKED

MILITARY VEHICLES

David J. Purdy1 and J. Rajesh Kumar2

Abstract: Battlefield mobility is one of the fundamental requirements of tracked military vehicles. The suspension
provides the necessary ride, handling, and traction for the vehicle when traversing over either paved roads or on
unprepared terrain. The Hydro-gas Suspension Unit (HSU) is one current state-of-the-art suspension technology with a
huge potential for improvement in the future. In this work a mathematical model is developed and simulated using
Matlab and Simulink. The model incorporates the compressibility of the fluid and expansion of other components using
an effective bulk modulus and the damper valve characteristics. A novel method of modelling the flow through the
damper valve using a lookup table is presented to overcome a problem with algebraic loops. Results from the model are
discussed for different damper valve characteristics and input frequencies. The HSU model is incorporated into a
simulation of a six-wheel station tracked vehicle having eight degrees of freedom, in order to study the ride quality of
the vehicle and to propose a method for selecting the damper valve characteristics.

NOMENCLATURE INTRODUCTION

α Angle of axle arm with respect to horizontal The design of suspension systems for military vehicles has
δ Vertical displacement and velocity of road always been difficult because of the conflicting requirements
wheel [1]. The main challenges are space constraints on the
φ Angle between axle arm and crank suspension, requirement for large wheel travel, and providing
γ Adiabatic index a rising rate spring. One of the suspension designs that
θs Pitch angle of the battle tank body permits a large amount of wheel travel and a rising rate is the
hydro-gas system seen on the current (Challenger 2) and
ρ0,1,2 Fluid density: 0—initial; 1,2—in chamber 1,2
previous British main battle tanks [2].
ψ Angle between HSU axis and horizontal
m& v Mass flow rate through damper valve One major advantage of the hydro-gas suspension system is
the ease with which its spring and damping characteristics
ap1, ap2 Piston areas in HSU
can be varied dynamically [2]. This capability has paved the
av Effective area of the damper orifice
way for developments towards active and semi-active control
Cui Damping coefficient of unsprung mass
of the suspension to provide appropriate suspension
dv1,dv2,dv3 Pre-orifice, valve seat and spring diameter
parameters for different kinds of terrain.
dk Diameter of chambers 1, 2 & 3
fsi Suspension force exerted by HSU Active and semi-active vehicle dynamics have become a
h Height of opening of damper valve subject of major interest during recent years, and simple
k Spring stiffness of road wheels damping control systems are incorporated in many modern
li Distance of suspensions from the CoG passenger cars [3]. Rapid progress in the analysis, design and
mj Fluid mass in HSU chambers 1 & 2 technology of the control systems leads to the need for an
msi, mui Lumped mass of body and unsprung mass accurate description of the dynamics of all the components
u Velocity of the main piston in x direction involved, such as, for instance, the tyre or shock absorber. It
v Vertical velocity of road wheel is only a matter of time before the technology will also be
x Displacement HSU main piston used for off-road military applications.
z Displacement of body and unsprung masses This work presents a method of simulating a hydro-gas unit,
Cd Discharge coefficient which incorporates the compressibility of the hydraulic fluid
D1,2,3 Diameters of chambers 1, 2 and 3 and the damper valve flow characteristics. This model is then
Ke Effective bulk modulus incorporated into a mathematical model of a six-wheel station
Is Moment of inertia of the battle tank body tracked vehicle. The ride performance of the vehicle for
L1,2,3 Length of chambers 1, 2 & 3 known inputs is investigated and a method is proposed for
P0,1,2,3 Pressure; 0-Initial; 1,2,3–in chambers 1, 2 & 3 selecting the orifice diameter for the damper valve.
∆P Pressure difference between chambers 1 & 2
Psp Pressure due to spring preload HYDROGAS SUSPENSION UNIT
Ps Pressure due to spring
Rv Valve resistance Figure 1 shows the cross section of the Hydro-gas
Rw, c Length of axle arm and crank Suspension Unit (HSU), used on a British main battle tank,
Vj Volume of fluid in the chambers 1, 2 & 3 mounted on trailing arms. The system consists of a cylinder
Subscript separated into three portions by a damper valve and floating
j 10,20,30—Initial values; 1,2,3—final values piston. The damper valve is essentially an orifice plate with
i Number of the wheel station spring-loaded valves capable of varying the orifice diameter
during operation. The outer portion of the cylinder (crank

1
Engineering Science Department, Royal Military College of Science, Cranfield University, Shrivenham, SN6 8LA, UK.
2
Combat Vehicles Research and Development Establishment, Ministry of Defence, DRDO, India.

1440-5113 © 2005 Argos Press