A Vibration Analysis of the Rubber Inertial Dampers Used in Electrical Vehicles

Polymers (Basel). 2022 Feb 27;14(5):953. doi: 10.3390/polym14050953.

Abstract

The development of electric vehicle manufacturing, which is considered a useful new popular propulsion system, has major design differences compared to conventional vehicles. This requires a reconsideration of the main components of vehicles and an analysis of them to determine the optimal design and solutions for the new models of cars. Among the many systems that need to be reconsidered is the suspension. A cheaper solution for reducing the car's vibrations is suspension where the damping is ensured by elastic rubber elements, which are very simple, as they have significant structural damping and a much lower price than the classic solution. The main advantage of this solution is the simplicity. The paper presents and analyzes such an element, analyzing the vibrations of this element and the way in which inertial masses (metal spheres) inserted into the volume of the rubber influence the behavior of this element. The transmissibility of such an element, and how the number of balls and the level of structural damping influences this property, is also analyzed. The results suggest possible applications in the automotive industry.

Keywords: damping; electrical vehicle; rubber; suspension.