A Simplified Method for the Identification of Vehicle Suspension Parameters

This paper presents a simplified method to identify vehicle suspension spring rates, damping characteristics, and unsprung mass inertia properties. The method presented employs a digital computer algorithm to implement an equation error identification technique. A sequence of four laboraory tests was developed to obtain suspension input and response data required in the equation error technique. To verify the technique a test stand employing an electro-hydraulic position servosystem was constructed and the test sequence was applied to the rear suspension of a 1972 Pontiac Catalina. When the identified parameters were used to simulate the response of the vehicle suspensions to the test input, agreement to within 13% of the actual maximum measured response resulted. /SASI/