Ride comfort enhancement considering car body aerodynamics using actively controlled spoilers
Abstract
The paper studies the application of aerodynamic actuators based on actively controlled spoilers mounted on the car body for enhancing the ride comfort of automobiles running on randomly uneven road surfaces. In particular this work extends previous analysis developed by one of the authors by considering the effect of aerodynamic forces induced by the pitch and bounce motions of the vehicle body itself. The design aspects of a wing actuator and the control law for optimising its performance is addressed. The control design considers the non-linearity due to saturation based on the SLQR approach using the stochastic linearisation technique. It is shown that under motorway driving conditions significant improvements in ride performance of automobiles can be achieved with the aid of actively controlled rooftop spoilers having a sufficiently fast response.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Aerodynamics and Fluid Dynamics Research
Traffic control and management
Vehicle Dynamics and Control Systems
Publication details
- Journal / source
- The Dynamics of Vehicles on Roads and on Tracks Supplement to Vehicle System Dynamics
- Publisher
- CRC Press
- Volume
- 41
- Pages
- 162–171
- Publication date
- 30 January 2026
- Language
- EN
- Document type
- Book chapter