Abstract
The principles of the conventional high performance hydraulic vibrator and its operating characteristics are described. An examination is made of the limitations involved and compared to the limitations of electro-magnetic and mechanical vibrators to show significant areas where the hydraulic vibrator has worthwhile advantages.
Mention is made of typical applications of hydraulic vibrators to vehicle testing and development. However, a substantial part of the paper is devoted to a specific installation, being a rig primarily designed for the measurement and study of vehicle suspension. This suspension parameter rig essentially consists of four long stroke hydraulic vibrators set in substantial pedestals so that the tyre contact patches of a vehicle may be individually supported and fed vertical inputs.
The rig and its associated instrumentation is described in some detail as are its various modes of use from static to dynamic testing up to around 100 Hz. Much of the work carried out on the rig is directly or indirectly associated with vehicle ride. In addition to the ability to feed in single and repetitive waveforms at different phase relationships, road inputs may be simulated.
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