Hydro-Pneumatic Suspension for a 6x6 All-Terrain Amphibious Vehicle: Design and Testing

Special purposes off-road vehicles are mainly used in very harsh conditions and environments. In this paper, the design and testing of the suspension system of a off-road amphibious vehicle is described. The suspension system of such vehicles has to comply with different, and conflicting, performances. It has to guarantee suitable on- and off-road characteristics, while, at the same time minimize the disturbance of the wheels during navigation. Starting from the experimentally defined mission profile of the vehicle, the design and testing process of the hydro-pneumatic suspension is presented. Mathematical models of the thermal and mechanical behaviour of the hydraulic system are used to optimize its parameters in order to obtain the desired suspension performance. Fatigue tests have been completed to evaluate the evolution of the performance of the system during the entire vehicle life.