Active vibration isolation of automotive seats requires actuators that achieve millimeter-range displacements and forces on the order of 300 N. Recent developments in piezoceramic actuator technology provide a means for achieving these force and displacement levels in a compact device. This work demonstrates that prestressed, curved piezoceramic actuators achieve the force and displacement levels required for active isolation of automotive seats. An estimate of the force and displacement requirements are obtained from numerical simulations on a four-degree-of- freedom car and seat model that utilize representative road accelerations as inputs. An actuator that meets these specifications is designed using piezoceramic materials. Free displacement of 4.4 mm and blocked force greater than 300 N are measured. The actuator is integrated within a dead mass setup that simulates the isolation characteristics of an automotive seat. Control experiments demonstrate that active vibration is achievable with realistic road disturbances. Feedback control is able to eliminate any amplification due to mechanical resonance and reduce the isolation frequency from 9.5 Hz to 2 Hz.

Date Published: 2 July 2001
PDF: 12 pages
Proc. SPIE 4331, Smart Structures and Materials 2001: Damping and Isolation, (2 July 2001); doi: 10.1117/12.432698

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 4331:
Smart Structures and Materials 2001: Damping and Isolation
Daniel J. Inman, Editor(s)