Mountain Bike Rear Suspension Design: Utilizing a Magnetorheological Damper for Active Vibration Isolation and Performance

This paper presents experimental results from the development of a rear suspension system that has been designed for a mountain bike. A magnetorheological (MR) damper is used to balance the need of ride comfort with performance characteristics such as handling and pedaling efficiency by using active...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of acoustics and vibration 2020-12, Vol.25 (4), p.504
Main Authors: Pierce, Robert, Kaul, Sudhir, Friesen, Jacob, Morgan, Thomas
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Algorithms
Analysis
Bicycles
Cycling
Citations: Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:This paper presents experimental results from the development of a rear suspension system that has been designed for a mountain bike. A magnetorheological (MR) damper is used to balance the need of ride comfort with performance characteristics such as handling and pedaling efficiency by using active control. A preliminary seven degree-of-freedom mathematical model has also been developed for the suspension system. Two control algorithms have been tested in this study - on/off control and proportional control. The rear suspension system has been integrated into an existing bike frame and tested on a shaker table as well as a mountain trail. Shaker table testing demonstrates the effectiveness of the damper. Trail testing indicates that the MR damper-based shock absorber can be used to implement different control algorithms. Test results indicate that the control algorithm can be further investigated to accommodate rider preferences and desired performance characteristics.
ISSN:1027-5851
DOI:10.20855/ijav.2020.25.41659