On the interrelation of equilibrium positions and work of friction forces on brake squeal

Brake noise, in particular brake squeal, is a permanent topic both in industry and academia since decades. Nonlinearities play a decisive role for this phenomenon. One nonlinear effect widely ignored so far is that the brake can engage multiple equilibrium positions with severe consequences on the noise behavior. In fact in an automotive disk brake, the essential elements carrier, caliper and pad are elastically coupled with each other and their behavior is nonlinear that multiple equilibrium positions are possible. The engaged equilibrium position depends, for example, on the initial conditions, external disturbances, and the transient application of the brake pressure, and in consequence configurations with or without self-exciting characteristics of the friction forces result. Obviously, a self-exciting characteristic of the friction force is a necessary precondition for the occurrence of squeal. The authors recently published some corresponding results (Koch et al. FU Mech Eng, 2021. https://doi.org/10.22190/FUME210106020K) demonstrating that for same operating parameters with respect to brake pressure (i.e., brake torque), rotational speed and temperature the engaged equilibrium position has decisive influence whether squeal occurs or not. While in Koch et al. (2021) it has just been detected whether there is squeal or not, the excitation characteristic of the friction forces becomes, beside the engaged equilibrium position, the additional focus in the present paper. Therefore, a work criterion already successfully applied in earlier publications for squeal tendency is considered. For the experimental application of the work criterion, accelerometers have to be mounted. The accelerometers’ location to be applied can be determined in the chosen setup by the camera system anyway necessary for the measurement of the engaged equilibrium position. With this refined setup, it is possible to specify the states squeal, close to squeal and far from squeal. The test series again demonstrate the decisive influence of the engaged equilibrium position (for constant operation parameters) on the occurrence of the respective state. These findings can have consequences for simulations (consideration of multiple equilibrium positions in models and respective linearization with consequences on system’s eigenvalues), but also for the design (avoidance of equilibrium positions suspicious for squeal) and experimental setups (determination of special positions) of brakes.

A Review of Active Aerodynamic Systems for Road Vehicles

Comfort, safety, high travel speeds, and low fuel consumption are expected characteristics of modern cars. Some of these are in conflict with one other. A solution to this conflict may be time-varying body geometry realized by moving aerodynamic elements and appropriate systems for controlling their motion. This paper presents a review of existing technical solutions and the results of published research on the effects of active flow control around a vehicle on its dynamic properties. Active aerodynamic systems typically adjust certain aerodynamic characteristics based on the vehicle speed, but systems using other information such as acceleration, yaw rate, steering angle, and brake pressure, as well as fully automatic systems, are also considered. This review provides information on historical and current methods, models, and their effectiveness in designing vehicle bodies and the movable aerodynamic elements mounted on them. Technical solutions in which the driver is an element of the control system, automatic systems, their models, models of movable aerodynamic elements, and coupled dynamic-aerodynamic models are presented. A number of types of moving aerodynamic element solutions used for different purposes are considered in this paper and conclusions are presented.

Pressure Estimation of the Electro-Hydraulic Brake System Based on Signal Fusion

At present, the master cylinder pressure estimation algorithm (MCPE) of electro-hydraulic brake systems (EHB) based on vehicle dynamics has the disadvantages of poor condition adaptability, and there are delays and noise in the estimated pressure; however, the MCPE based on the characteristics of an EHB (i.e., the pressure–position relationship) is not robust enough to prevent brake pad wear. For the above reasons, neither method be applied to engineering. In this regard, this article proposes a MCPE that is based on signal fusion. First, a five-degree-of-freedom (5-DOF) vehicle model that includes longitudinal motion, lateral motion, yaw motion, and front and rear wheel rotation is established. Based on this, an algebraic expression for MCPE is derived, which extends the MCPE from a straight condition to a steering condition. Real vehicle tests show that the MCPE based on the 5-DOF vehicle model can effectively estimate the brake pressure in both straight and steering conditions. Second, the relationship between the hydraulic pressure and the rack position in the EHB is tested under different brake pad wear levels, and the results show that the pressure–position relationship will change as the brake pad is worn down, so the pressure estimated by the pressure–position model based on fixed parameters is not robust. Third, a MCPE based on the fusion the above two MCPEs through the recursive least squares algorithm (RLS) is proposed, in which the pressure-position model can be updated online by vehicle dynamics and the final estimated pressure is calculated based on the updated pressure–position model. Finally, several simulations based on vehicle test data demonstrate that the fusion-based MCPE can estimate the brake pressure accurately and smoothly with little delay and is robust enough to prevent brake pad wear. In addition, by setting the enabling conditions of RLS, the fusion-based MCPE can switch between driving and parking smoothly; thus, the fusion-based MCPE can be applied to all working conditions.

A control strategy for efficient slip ratio regulation of a pneumatic brake system for commercial vehicles

This paper presents a control strategy for efficient slip ratio regulation of a pneumatic brake system for commercial vehicles. A model-based estimator for brake pressure estimation has been developed. The braking torque applied to the wheel has been computed using the estimated brake pressure for the control of the wheel slip both in braking and traction situations. The vehicle velocity and wheel slip ratio estimation algorithms have been designed using only wheel speed sensors. The proposed slip regulation algorithm has also been successfully implemented for the antilock braking system (ABS) and traction control system (TCS). In ABS, the slip ratio and wheel acceleration are stabilized by a limit cycle control of the braking pressure. The TCS has been implemented by combining engine torque control and pneumatic brake pressure control. The brake controller is based on the valve switched control that incorporates the wheel dynamics and valve on/off characteristics. The ABS and TCS algorithms are integrated into the slip regulation algorithm to reduce the computation load of an Electrical Control Unit (ECU). Four-wheel independent slip monitoring and slip ratio control algorithms have been implemented on the ECU, and their performance has been investigated via both computer simulations and vehicle tests. Both results show that the proposed algorithms enhance the acceleration and braking performance without vehicle acceleration information. Moreover, the proposed split-mu strategy has improved the lateral stability during braking, and the acceleration performance during accelerating on the split-mu road. It has been shown via vehicle tests that, compared to the reference commercial algorithm, the braking distance was reduced by more than 4% on the split-mu and low-mu roads, and the acceleration performance was improved by 7.9% on the split-mu road.

Design and Verification of Two-Stage Brake Pressure Servo Valve for Aircraft Brake System

Wheel braking devices is some of the most widely used landing deceleration devices in modern aircraft. Jet pipe pressure servo valves are widely used in large aircraft wheel brake control systems because of their high anti-pollution ability, high sensitivity and fast dynamic response. However, most brake systems suffer vibration phenomena during the braking process. The pressure servo valve is an important part of the hydraulic brake system, and also an important factor affecting the vibration of the system. In order to solve the vibration problem in the brake system this paper present a two-stage brake pressure servo valve design. We place feedback channels at both ends of the main spool to stabilize the output pressure. In addition, modeling, simulation and experimental verifications are carried out. Firstly, the principle and structure of the pressure servo valve are described. An accurate mathematical model of the two-stage brake pressure servo valve and the testing system is established. Then a simulation analysis is carried out. Finally, a two-stage brake pressure servo valve testing experimental platform system is built for experimental verification. The experimental results show that the mathematical model of the two-stage brake pressure servo valve and the test system established in this paper have high accuracy, and the designed servo valve structure can restrain vibrations. The above research results provide a useful theoretical reference for performance optimization, stability analysis and valve body structure improvement of brake pressure servo valves.

Research on driving proneness in car-following behaviours based on multi-source real driving data

There is little research on the degrees of drivers’ short-term behaviours regarding driving safety. To solve this problem, this paper investigated the concept of driving proneness and evaluated the propensities of different drivers to engage in different operations for the following scenarios of urban traffic. From the real driving data of sixteen drivers on a city road, car-following data fragments were extracted and six key parameters were obtained: throttle percentage, change rate of throttle percentage, brake pressure, change rate of brake pressure, absolute value of steering angle and absolute value of steering angle speed. Symbolic Aggregate Approximation was used to reduce the dimensionality of the parameters. The input of the Hidden Markov Model-Viterbi was obtained by the use of statistical methods. The output of the model is the probability of the three proneness states of introversion, neutrality and extroversion, from which the proneness value of each driver was calculated. The weighted proneness value of each driver was obtained by the use of the entropy weight method to assign weights to each parameter. The operating characteristics of the drivers were also analysed and described. The method presented in this paper can provide accurate and real-time warning in network-driven environments.

Pressure Estimation Based on Vehicle Dynamics Considering the Evolution of the Brake Linings’ Coefficient of Friction

To mitigate the issue of low accuracy and poor robustness of the master cylinder pressure estimation (MCPE) of the electro-hydraulic brake system (EHB) by adopting EHB’s own information, a MCPE algorithm based on vehicle information considering the evolution of the brake linings’ coefficient of friction (BLCF) is proposed. First, the MCPE algorithm was derived combining the vehicle longitudinal dynamics and the wheel dynamics, in which the inertial measurement unit (IMU) was adopted to adapt the MCPE algorithm to road slope change. In order to estimate the brake pressure accurately, the driving resistance of the vehicle was obtained through a vehicle test under coasting condition. After that, with the active braking function of EHB, the evolution of the BLCF was acquired through extensive real vehicle test under different initial temperatures, different initial vehicle speeds, and different brake pressures. According to the test results, a revised model of the BLCF is proposed. Finally, the performance of the MCPE based on the revised BLCF model was compared with that based on a fixed BLCF model. Vehicle test demonstrates that the former MCPE algorithm is not only more accurate at low vehicle speed than the later, but also robust to road slope change.

Design and experimental study of electrical and mechanical brake for mine hoist

To meet the requirement of the braking response of the coal mine hoist, a new electromechanical braking technology for mine hoists is proposed, the principle of electromechanical braking of mine hoists is demonstrated, and the detailed parameters and braking performance of electromechanical brakes are given. Index, an electromechanical brake test platform with large load and high response is developed. Experiments show that the maximum positive pressure of the designed electromechanical brake reaches 33 KN, which meets the requirement of positive pressure of mine hoist. The braking error is less than 10 %, and the braking gap elimination time is less than 0.1 s. There is a linear relationship between motor current input and brake positive pressure output, with a slope of 4.17 and an intercept of 0.62. The screw displacement output and the brake pressure output have a cubic relationship, and the zero error is small. Through research, a new idea is provided for the development of electromechanical brakes for coal mine hoist.

Impact analysis of contact symmetrical caliper structure on brake squeal

The brake squeal of automobiles has become one of the most annoying issues for passengers. Hence, it is essential to suppress the noise from the design stage of the braking system. In this article, the method for reducing squeal noise is explored based on the finite element model of the brake system. Studies on this model show that the structural deficiency of the brake caliper may cause the instability of the braking system and then cause squeal noise. Thus, the brake caliper is optimized to achieve a symmetrical contact pressure distribution on the inner and outer sides of the disc surface. The effectiveness of this method is analyzed by ANSYS/workbench software and verified in bench tests and road tests. The results show that the symmetrical caliper structure can make the brake pressure distribution more reasonable and the brake system more stable. Finally, it has reduced the noise incidence from 19.27% to 3.63%, which provides an effective method of reducing brake squeal noise.

Research on Optimal Control of Excavator Negative Control Swing System

In order to improve the energy efficiency and dynamic of negative control swing systems of excavators, this paper proposes a technical scheme of adding two PRVs (pressure reducing valves) to main valve pilot control circuit, which can adjust main value opening arbitrarily according to the working condition. A pump-value compound control strategy was formulated to regulate the system power flow. During swing motor acceleration, main pump and the two PRVs are controlled to match system supply flow with motor demand flow, thereby reducing motor overflow and shortening system response time. During swing motor braking, the channel from motor to tank is opened to release hydraulic brake pressure by controlling PRVs before swing speed reduces to zero, which prevents the motor from reversing and oscillating. A simulation model of 37-ton excavator was established, and the control strategy was simulated. The original and optimized performance of the swing system were compared and analyzed, and results show that the application of new scheme with the compound control strategy can reduce overflow and increase braking stability of the swing system. In addition, system response and speed control performance are also improved when excavator performs a single-swing action.