Car as a Simplified Model for Vibration Analysis

The picture on the left shows the mechanical system which served as the basis to derive the equations describing the automobile suspension system. The mass m1 represents the frame of the car itself which is coupled to the wheels, represented by m2, by means of a spring s1 and a damper d. The wheels are coupled to the road by a spring s2 representing the elasticity of the wheels.

This mechanical system is described by the following two (coupled) differential equations please note that the movement of the car frame will result in a feedback force to the wheels, too.

Rearranging these equations will result in

Describing the behavior of the vehicle frame and

Describing the (more complex) behaviour of the wheels. f(t) denotes a stochastic function simulating the roughness (bumpyness :-) ) of the road.