Analysis of a Variable Geometry Active Suspension

The use of actuators in vehicle suspensions is not very com-mon. When looking at passenger cars, it can be seen that the majority uses suspensions with passive spring and damper elements. However, the benefits of active suspension sys-tems over passive systems are clear, [1]. They can be used to both increase the driver comfort and handling behavior of the vehicle. In this study a model is presented of the variable geometry force actuator as described in [3]. Furthermore, the concept of the variable geometry force actuator is evaluated with re-spect to power consumption and disturbance reduction prop-erties. Hereto, a comparison is given with a passive spring-damper suspension; a spring-damper suspension with either a hydraulic or electric actuator parallel; and a spring-dampe