Prototyping and analysis of comfort in driving a bicycle equipped with a magneto-rheological damper

Abstract

Typical vehicle suspension systems are based on passive energy dissipation devices. This type of systems has proven to be a reliable and economic approach, however they are not capable of modify its behavior in accordance with the road conditions. On the other hand, active systems allow a continuous control of the suspension response although requiring sensors, actuators and controllers which represents a more complex and expensive system, usually demanding high power requirements. A middle-term vibration control approach is to use the so-called semi-active systems with the adaptability of active systems and lower energy consumption. This paper aims to evaluate the comfort ridding of a full suspension bicycle equipped with semi-active open loop control suspension system using a magneto-rheological (MR) damper. The assessment is based on the analysis of real data, collected with an instrumented bicycle prototype, obtained in experimental tests carried out on a smooth indoor pavement and on a cobblestone road.