Field Work

This article discusses that most manufacturers have added suspension systems. It was along these lines that John Deere developed the front-axle triple link suspension, for instance. The suspension very effectively improves ride comfort and also helps to keep the front wheels on the ground to better transfer the steering forces. Deere’s design used shock absorbers loaded with oil and nitrogen and tuned the system to a resonant frequency of about 1 Hz. The cab, which can hold a driver and a passenger, will sink about 6 cm under the maximum load of two people. Deere engineers used Matlab mathematical computing and Simulink modeling software, from Math Works of Natick, Mass., coupled to DADS to evaluate suspension control systems. They setup a multibody simulation of conditions on Deere’s test track to evaluate component durability after prototyping. The simulation, which included obstacles of the same height and geometry as those on the test track, generated component loads used as input to finite element analysis programs to calculate fatigue.