Effectiveness of the active pneumatic suspension of the operator’s seat of the mobile machine in depend of the vibration reduction strategies

Low speeds of heavy mobile machines combined with large inertia result in the excitation of low frequency vibrations. Dissipation of vibration energy in the case of unsprung machines is performed only through tires, which slightly reduces the intensity of vibrations. Effective reduction of vibrations of mobile machines is possible only with active or semi-active methods. In unsprung mobile machines, on the way of propagation of vibrations between the source of vibrations and the protected object (machine operator), are vibroisolation systems located. These are most often controlled seat suspensions. In the case of the active suspensions, it is necessary to provide external energy, e.g. in the form of compressed air. The compressed air has the advantage that it is generally available in working machines as the working fluid and has its environmentally friendly properties (leaks do not contaminate the environment). This article is the result of the continuation of work on active methods of vibro-activity lowering in mobile machines, which resulted in, among others, elaboration of simulation model of the active operator’s seat suspension with controlled pneumatic actuator and its experimental identification. In particular, it was verifying the effectiveness of the adopted solution made the identification the friction model and thermodynamic phenomena in the controlled pneumatic cylinder. The aim of this work is parametric optimization of the suspension system and searching for the optimal control strategy. Experimental tests were carried out under conditions of harmonic excitations, coming from the electromechanical vibration exciter with controllable pitch and frequency. Data acquisition system and control circuit of the proportional directional control valve, supplying compressed air to the actuator were implemented using MATLAB-Simulink Real-Time software.