A New Electromechanical Analogy Approach Based on Electrostatic Coupling for Vertical Dynamic Analysis of Planar Vehicle Models

Abstract

Analogies between mechanical and electrical systems have been developed and applied for almost a century, and they have proved their usefulness in the study of mechanical and electrical systems. The development of new elements such as the inerter or the memristor is a clear example. However, new applications and possibilities of using these analogues remain to be explored. In this work, the electrical analogues of different vehicle models are presented. A new and not previously reported analogy between inertial coupling and electrostatic capacitive coupling is found and described. Several examples are provided to highlight the benefits of this analogy. Well-known mechanical systems like the half-car or three three-axle vehicle models are discussed and some numerical results are presented. To the best of the author’s knowledge, such systems were never dealt with by using a full electromechanical analogy. The mechanical equations are also derived and compared with those of the electrical domain for harmonic steady-state analysis.