Methodology of the Study of the Shock Absorption System of the Operator’s Seat of a Mobile Power Unit Based on a Simulation Model

BACKGROUND: Improving the working conditions of the operator of a mobile power unit by reducing vibration impact while improving the design and characteristics of elastic-damping properties is a relevant task that can be solved at the present stage by using automated modeling systems to develop simulation models with a sufficient level of detail.

AIM: Definition of research methodology for improving the shock absorption system of the operator’s seat of a mobile power unit based on a simulation model.

METHODS: Computer simulation modeling and experimental studies with the registration of dynamically changing signals, methods of experimental data smoothing based on optimization and evaluation of results using dispersion analysis are used in the study. The resulting system simulation model of a seat with a series-produced suspension is validated based on the manufacturer’s experimental data for subsystems. Experimental studies are conducted to debug the definition and preliminary processing of the model’s input data for conducting a model experiment, which allows creating test scenarios.

RESULTS: The developed simulation model, when conducting a numerical experiment based on experimentally obtained scenarios of operation, showed good quality of prediction of the processes under study. This made it possible to formulate a methodology for conducting research based on the methods considered.

CONCLUSION: The proposed method makes it possible to reduce the time of research and material costs for the development and evaluation of new design solutions, including in the field of active and semi-active elastic-damping elements. Using a system model allows studying the mechanism and evaluating the operation of individual elements and subsystems. In addition, the numerical and full-scale experiments showed that the series-produced suspension of the operator’s chair of a mobile power unit does not always cope with the task of smoothing out shocks in vibration, which suggests the need for further development of the design. One of the possible areas of further research is the creation of a model of a subsystem of an active or semi-active elastic damping device and comparative tests to evaluate and optimize design solutions.