Neuro-fuzzy control of a tracked vehicle featuring semi-active electro-rheological suspension units

This paper presents vibration control of a tracked vehicle installed with e lectro-rheological suspension units (ERSU). As a first step, an in-arm type ERSU is designed, and its spring and damping characteristics are evaluated with respect to the intensity of electric fields. Subsequently, a 16 degre e-of-freedom model for a tracked vehicle equipped with the proposed ERSU is established followed by the formulation of a neuro-fuzzy controller. This controller takes account for both ride quality and steering stability by ad opting a weighting parameter between two performance requirements. The para meter is appropriately determined by employing a fuzzy algorithm associated with two fuzzy variables: the vertical speed of the body and the rotationa l angular speed of the wheel. Control performances to isolate unwanted vibr ation from bump and random road excitations are evaluated through computer simulations. In addition, maximum speed of the vehicle with 6 Watt power ab sorption is investigated with respect to the road roughness.