Active and Semi-Active Heavy Truck Suspensions to Reduce Pavement Damage

Active and semi-active suspensions have been evaluated for application on tractor/semi-trailer trucks using a pitch plane simulation model called "VESYM". VESYM is a fully non-linear time domain simulation model. This paper reviews the effect of alternative heavy truck suspensions on pavement damage by using the flexible pavement simulation program "VESYS". It is shown that by estimating axle tire force and using this signal to modulate a semi-active shock absorber that significant reduction in pavement degradation can be achieved.