Improving ride comfort by optimising suspension system of an electric street sweeper

The opinion of the operators of the working machines in today’s world is much more valued than in the past. Their comfort, safety and satisfaction during the working hours can be crucial in the decision making process of buying new working machine. Therefore, in this research paper the vertical dynamics and ride comfort of an electric street sweeper would be analysed by using a multibody dynamic model. The model is created using MSC. ADAMS, based on a real electric street sweeper. In order to test the ride comfort of the existing model, a road profile is modelled, according to the standard ISO 8608. The virtual tests are conducted while the vehicle is traveling with maximum velocity of 40 km/h, achieved during transit and lower velocities which are achieved during the operating hours of the machine. An optimization of the suspension system of the real electric sweeper is made, by targeting its components location and positioning, stiffness and damping characteristics. This results in improved ride comfort and smaller root mean square (RMS) values of vertical acceleration of the driver seat. These improvements would influence on operator’s better comfort and health. Results are presented using comparative diagrams of the original and optimised model.