Study on dynamics of rear-axle suspension of a vehicle

The dynamics of mechanical systems with clearance and constraint is an important field in vibration engineering. A one-degree-of-freedom piecewise-linear model for a rear-axle suspension is considered in this paper. Motion differential equation of the system having a non-linear elastic constraint is derived and the related Poincaré map is established numerically. Bifurcations and chaos of the system are investigated by numerical simulations and analytical method. The routes to chaos through quasi-periodic and period-doubling bifurcation are discussed respectively. Besides, some other non-typical routes to chaos in the suspension system have founded. The obtained result can be used in chaos prediction and chaotic control. It is helpful to optimize the parameters of practical suspension system by investigation of its bifurcation and chaos.