Data Acquisition/Testing

​​A data acquisition system was needed to record the vehicle's suspension and drivetrain characteristics. 

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I calculated the theoretical ideal coil spring rates for our vehicle based on inputted vehicle weight and conditions. 

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Several design alternatives were compared to continue with the best possible components for this application. 

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Several dynamic testing events were planned, with goals of reducing body roll/yaw, providing optimal suspension performance in rough terrain, and maintaining driver comfort. 

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The final design of the data acquisition system is based on an Arduino micro/uno microcontroller. Vehicle data is captured by a 6-axis accelerometer that records current gyroscopic position and acceleration is all three axes. 

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The data recorded is exported onto an external SD card, which is then saved onto a computer and automatically plotted through Matlab. 

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Each test was recorded for various suspension variables (spring rate, preload, compression damping, rebound damping, and leverage ratio).

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These data points were then compared to confirm successful goal achievements through tuning of these parameters. 

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Initially, the data was disturbed due to external vibrational forces such as engine vibrations and rough terrain. Several low pass and Kalman filters were utilized to separate the noise from the data.

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The vehicle showed a reduction of mass transfer during sinusoidal testing and increased stability. 

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