Mechanical hardware-in-the-loop (mHiL) and virtual tuning of automotive dampers

Principal investigator: M. V. Sivaselvan

Anticipated completion: December 2025

Hardware-in-the-loop (HiL) refers to testing a component while embedding it in one or more of its likely environments. These environments are represented virtually by computer models. The tested component could be (a) an embedded controller (controller HiL or cHiL), (b) an electrical component (power HiL or pHiL) and/or (c) a mechanical component (mechanical HiL or mHiL). HiL enables incremental prototyping, since systems can be tested incrementally as they are designed and built, while representing the remainder of the system virtually. cHiL is an established technology that is widely used in the automotive and aerospace industries. pHiL is still an area of research and is finding use in grid applications. mHiL is relatively uncommon because mechanical actuators are involved, whose dynamics and interaction with the tested component make its implementation a more complex controls problem. There is however emerging interest driven by the demand for rapid development and production cycles in the automotive sector.

We have solved a number of the controls challenges in mHiL in the context of infrastructure applications [1—7]. With strategic industry partnerships, we are developing an mHiL demonstration testbed for an automotive application. The concept of the testbed is shown in the figure below. A real-time computer model of a high-performance car mediates physical testing of a shock absorber and a driver interface through a driving simulator. The shock absorber can be virtually tuned based on the driver’s perception of handing and comfort.

The controls hardware and real-time simulation software are being provided by VI-Grade's University Sponsorship Program.

The electromagnetic actuator-based damper test system is being purchased from Step-Lab.

1. Stefanaki, A. and Sivaselvan, M. V. (2018). “A simple strategy for dynamic substructuring: I. concept and development”, Earthquake Engineering and Structural Dynamics, 47(9), 1801-1822, doi:10.1002/eqe.3039.
2. Stefanaki, A., Sivaselvan, M. V., Weinreber, S. and Pitman, M. (2018). “A simple strategy for dynamic substructuring: II. experimental evaluation”, Earthquake Engineering and Structural Dynamics, 47(9), 1823-1843, doi:10.1002/eqe.3041.
3. Verma, M. Sivaselvan, M. V. and Rajasankar, J. (2019). “Impedance matching for dynamic substructuring”, Structural Control and Health Monitoring, 26(11), e2402, doi: 10.1002/stc.2402.
4. Verma, M. and Sivaselvan, M. V. (2019). “Impedance matching control design for the benchmark problem in real-time hybrid simulation”, Mechanical Systems and Signal Processing, 134(1), 106343, doi: 10.1016/j.ymssp.2019.106343.
5. Wu, T., Li, S. and Sivaselvan, M. V. (2019). “Real-time aerodynamics hybrid simulation: a novel wind-tunnel model for flexible bridges”, ASCE Journal of Engineering Mechanics, 145(9), doi: 10.1061/(ASCE)EM.1943-7889.0001649.
6. Parsi, S. S., Sivaselvan, M. V., Whittaker, A. S. (2023). “Nuances in modeling and impedance-inspired control of shake tables for tracking ground-motion trajectories”, Earthquake Engineering and Structural Dynamics, 52, 1403– 1422, doi:10.1002/eqe.3822.
7. Parsi, S. S., Sivaselvan, M. V., Whittaker, A. S. (2023). “Impedance-matching model-in-the-loop simulation”, Earthquake Engineering and Structural Dynamics, 1- 22, doi:10.1002/eqe.3922.