Nonlinear modeling and torsional vibration analysis of heavy-duty vehicle powertrain system during acceleration

The vehicle acceleration process is often accompanied by torsional vibration of the powertrain system. Poor torsional vibration performance significantly influences the driving comfort of the vehicle and the reliability of powertrain components. Compared to passenger cars, commercial vehicles, especially the heavy-duty truck, exhibit more complicated vibration behaviors during acceleration due to the multiple power branches, various gears, and different working conditions. This article presents systematic research on the modeling method, vibration characteristics, mechanism, and influence factors of the torsional resonance of the heavy-duty vehicle during acceleration. A 16-DOF powertrain model considering multiple nonlinearities of the system is proposed and experimentally validated reliable. Numerical and experimental studies are carried out to investigate the vibration characteristics and mechanism of the heavy-duty vehicle powertrain, and the modal energies and parameter influences are also discussed. Besides, an optimization example is presented to analyze the potential vibration attenuation performance of optimizing the clutch parameters. The results indicate that the overall powertrain mode of the heavy-duty vehicle tends to be aroused by the engine firing frequency during accelerating, inducing violent speed fluctuations of the powertrain components between the clutch and half-shafts. The clutch parameters have significant impacts on the powertrain resonance, and the vibration amplitude of the powertrain system can be effectively attenuated to acceptable levels by optimally designing the clutch parameters.