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In this paper, the effect of the dynamic interaction between tractor and semitrailer on the ride behaviour of heavy good vehicles is investigated. A multi-body model is constructed for a 4-axle tractor-semitrailer vehicle with flexible frames and excited by random road irregularities. The modal parameters of the connected frames are calculated using the FEM (Finite Element Method), as an integrated free vibrating structure, and incorporated with the equations of motion of the whole vehicle which are generated using the Lagrange energy approach. Frequency response analysis is carried out for random road excitations to evaluate the vehicle ride dynamics. In order to give a broad overview of the vehicle ride quality, different loading conditions are considered in the computer simulation. The results showed that the acceleration levels of vehicle components are significantly increased when the effect of an empty semitrailer is considered within the vehicle model.

In this paper, a non-linear simulation analysis for a 4 axles tractor semitrailer vehicle is addressed using a 14 degrees-of-freedom ride model that includes the structural dynamics of both tractor and semitrailer frames. The system non-linearity is arising due to the inclusion of switchable dampers in the vehicle cab suspension systems. The modal properties of the articulated vehicle frames are calculated using the FEM (finite element method) and then incorporated with the rigid parameters and motions of the different components of the vehicle system. The equations of motion are derived taking into account the interaction between both tractor and semitrailer frames. The Runge-Kutta method has been used to solve the non-linear differential equations of motion of the vehicle system in the time domain. Random signals are used to simulate the road surface irregularities and to excite the components of the vehicle system with low and high roughness levels (smooth and rough roads).