OPTIMIZATION OF SUSPENSION SYSTEM RE-DESIGN ON MINI STRUCTURES BUSES USING SIMULINK FACILITIES
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.35814/th05wh85Keywords:
Suspension; Bus; Comfort; Simulink; Dynamic Response.Abstract
The construction of the Bogor–Cianjur–Sukabumi (BOCIMI) Toll Road represents a strategic government initiative to enhance regional connectivity in West Java, reduce congestion in the Greater Jakarta (Jabodetabek) area, and promote the growth of industrial zones, tourism, and satellite cities. Along with the development of toll road infrastructure, the demand for public transportation modes that are both efficient and comfortable has become increasingly important. However, existing road-based public transportation still faces limitations, particularly in terms of ride comfort and vehicle dynamic performance. Therefore, the development and re-design of medium buses with improved comfort through suspension system optimization is required. This study focuses on the modeling and optimization of the suspension system of a PO. Marita medium bus operating on the Jakarta–Cianjur route via Puncak Bogor, using Simulink-based simulation as a representation of the vehicle’s dynamic system. The objectives of this research include suspension system modeling, analysis of suspension parameters that most significantly affect vehicle dynamic response, optimization of the main suspension parameters, and evaluation of vibration response before and after optimization based on body acceleration RMS, maximum suspension deflection, settling time, and damping ratio (ζ). In addition, vehicle response under cornering and acceleration conditions with various speed levels and mass distributions is also analyzed. The research methodology was carried out in several stages, including literature review, collection of vehicle and road data, determination of initial suspension parameters, mathematical modeling, Simulink modeling, initial condition simulation, vibration response evaluation, optimization of spring stiffness (k) and damping coefficient (c), and comparison of results before and after re-design. The results show that the suspension system was successfully modeled and was able to quantitatively represent the vehicle’s dynamic response. The parameters k and c were found to be the most influential on suspension performance. Optimization increased the damping ratio from approximately ζ ≈ 0.03 to ζ ≈ 0.07, accompanied by a reduction in body acceleration RMS from about 0.38 m/s² to 0.21 m/s², maximum suspension deflection from ±85 mm to ±50 mm, and settling time from 6.0 seconds to 2.5 seconds. Under cornering and acceleration simulations, the optimized suspension system maintained stable and well-controlled responses, making it more suitable for the mountainous road characteristics of the Jakarta–Cianjur route via Puncak Bogor.
Downloads
References
[1] Antara News, “Pengadaan lahan untuk pembangunan tol Bogor–Ciawi–Sukabumi selesai 2017,” Antara News, Feb. 2, 2017. [Online]. Available: https://www.antaranews.com/berita/610240/pengadaan-lahan-untuk-pembangunan-tol-bogor-sukabumi-selesai-2017. Accessed: Jan. 30, 2026.
[2] Badan Perencanaan Pembangunan Daerah Provinsi Jawa Barat, Rencana Kerja Pemerintah Daerah (RKPD) Provinsi Jawa Barat Tahun 2018. Bandung, Indonesia: Bappeda Jabar, 2017. [Online]. Available: https://bappeda.jabarprov.go.id/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/RKPD-2018-.pdf. Accessed: Jan. 30, 2026.
[3] X. Shen, S. Feng, Z. Li, and B. Hu, “Analysis of bus passenger comfort perception based on passenger load factor and in-vehicle time,” SpringerPlus, vol. 5, art. no. 62, Jan. 2016, doi: 10.1186/s40064-016-1694-7.
[4] Wikipedia, “Kopaja,” Wikipedia. [Online]. Available: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kopaja. Accessed: Jan. 30, 2026.
[5] Direktorat Jenderal Perhubungan Darat, Manajemen dan Operasional Angkutan Jalan. Jakarta, Indonesia: Kementerian Perhubungan Republik Indonesia, 2014.
[6] T. B. Joewono, D. S. Santoso, and Y. O. Susilo, “Paratransit transport in Indonesia: Characteristics and user perceptions,” J. Eastern Asia Soc. Transportation Studies, vol. 11, pp. 1346–1361, 2015, doi: 10.11175/easts.11.1346.
[7] A. Els, “Suspension settings for optimal ride comfort of off-road vehicles travelling on roads with different roughness and speeds,” J. Terramechanics, 2007.
[8] M. Z. Hasan, M. A. Rahman, and M. A. Islam, “Optimization of vehicle suspension system for ride comfort and road holding,” Int. J. Automotive and Mechanical Engineering, vol. 9, pp. 1860–1873, 2014.
[9] T. D. Gillespie, Fundamentals of Vehicle Dynamics. Warrendale, PA, USA: SAE International, 1992.
[10] J. Y. Wong, Theory of Ground Vehicles, 4th ed. Hoboken, NJ, USA: John Wiley & Sons, 2008.
[11] P. M. C. Wolf, M. J. Griffin, and J. Donati, “Vibration exposure of bus drivers and passengers,” Applied Ergonomics, vol. 34, no. 6, pp. 531–538, 2003.
[12] S. S. Rao, Engineering Optimization: Theory and Practice, 4th ed. Hoboken, NJ, USA: John Wiley & Sons, 2009.
[13] R. Rajamani, Vehicle Dynamics and Control, 2nd ed. New York, NY, USA: Springer, 2012.
[14] International Organization for Standardization, ISO 2631-1:1997 Mechanical Vibration and Shock – Evaluation of Human Exposure to Whole-Body Vibration – Part 1: General Requirements. Geneva, Switzerland, 1997.
[15] G. Pahl, W. Beitz, J. Feldhusen, and K.-H. Grote, Engineering Design: A Systematic Approach, 3rd ed. London, U.K.: Springer, 2007.
[16] K. T. Ulrich and S. D. Eppinger, Product Design and Development, 5th ed. New York, NY, USA: McGraw-Hill, 2012.
[17] A. Hrovat, “Survey of advanced suspension developments and related optimal control applications,” Automatica, vol. 33, no. 10, pp. 1781–1817, 1997.
[18] C. P. Heisler, Advanced Vehicle Technology, 2nd ed. Oxford, U.K.: Butterworth-Heinemann, 2002.
[19] D. Karnopp, M. J. Crosby, and R. A. Harwood, “Vibration control using semi-active force generators,” J. Engineering for Industry, vol. 96, no. 2, pp. 619–626, 1974.
[20] A. Setiawan and B. Santoso, “Analisis kenyamanan kendaraan berdasarkan respon getaran menggunakan model seperempat kendaraan,” Jurnal Teknik Mesin, vol. 8, no. 2, pp. 85–92, 2016.
[21] A. Setiawan, R. Hidayat, and B. Santoso, “Analisis respon getaran kendaraan terhadap variasi frekuensi eksitasi jalan,” Jurnal Teknik Mesin, vol. 9, no. 1, pp. 45–52, 2017.
[22] A. Setiawan and D. Kurniawan, “Pemodelan kenyamanan kendaraan berbasis respon dinamis menggunakan model seperempat kendaraan,” Jurnal Teknik Mesin, vol. 10, no. 2, pp. 95–102, 2018.
[23] D. Kurniawan and Y. Prasetyo, “Analisis spektrum getaran kendaraan dan pengaruhnya terhadap kenyamanan manusia,” Jurnal Ilmiah Teknik Mesin, vol. 9, no. 3, pp. 167–174, 2017.
[24] D. Kurniawan and B. Santoso, “Studi respon tubuh manusia terhadap percepatan longitudinal dan vertikal kendaraan,” Jurnal Ilmiah Teknik Mesin, vol. 8, no. 3, pp. 141–148, 2015.
[25] R. Siregar and A. Hidayat, “Analisis pengaruh ketidakrataan permukaan jalan terhadap kenyamanan pengemudi menggunakan model dinamis kendaraan,” Jurnal Teknik Mesin, vol. 18, no. 2, pp. 85–92, 2016.
[26] T. Widodo and B. Santoso, “Pemodelan respon getaran kendaraan akibat eksitasi profil permukaan jalan,” Jurnal Teknik ITS, vol. 4, no. 1, pp. B21–B26, 2015.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Teknobiz : Jurnal Ilmiah Program Studi Magister Teknik Mesin
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
