CHAPTER 1 6 Ride and Roll Rates “Figuring the suspension ofa car is almost entirety a matter of making useful approximations. Its not an exactacience. But nether is ita bling “pplication of rule-of thumb principles” Maurice Otley Notes om Suspension, 1961 Introduction Calculating rie end col ates from measured suspension properties isthe subject ofthis chapter, Fist some definitions are made. A fairy complete example is worked wih only few assumptions—this might be used fort new ear or tack. A simplified ee ample which uses more assumptions i also worked. This may bo the most prec! to ‘te once there is some experience witha partcularca. Regardless of what echnlaue used, calculation of ride and rll rates is an essential part of understanding race oxen op. ‘The ride and roll rates for aca (or fran end ofa car directly relate a change in wheel toading to a change in body position. A ride rat eltes «change inthe tre normal force atthe ground for an individual comer ofa car to a pure vertical change in body poten ‘A rol rate refers tothe moment produced by a differential change in tre normal fae (side-to-side) asthe body is rolled about is roll ans. Ride rate fora whee! arn cs ‘arg Sea WA, wrt is capers ort con ene ote nich we cid Tey580 Race Car Vehicle Dynamics vidual comer of cris given in terms of pounds of tre normal force (or whes Toad) at the ground per inch of vertical body motion or ride travel. Rol rate for apr of wheels tone end ofthe cari given i terms of pound-fet of rll torque per degree of body roll, ‘angle or axle rotation relative to the Bod; the rll rate of the whale vehicle can also be ‘expressed in these terms, pounds-feet per degree. Ride and roll rtes havea significant effect on cornering performance because they di- rectly affect the distribution of ie normal forces and consequent tire lateral forces available at each comer, Unfortunatly, the car designer or chassis tuner doesnot have ect control over the ride and ol rates of car but only individual suspension cle ‘ments—linkages, springs, and ant-oll bars. This chapter addresses the problem of relat- ing the individual suspension components tothe ride and rll rates forthe ear—more specifically to determine ride spring rates and anti-roll bar (r 2-ba) rates the springs that give stisfactory ride and roll ates. After the spring rates are specified, the springs can be designed (within the limitations of various spring design formulas) using Chapter 21 ‘Chapter 18 desries calculations that canbe used to determine whee! loads forthe Full range of operating conditions. ‘These wheel loads include the effects of fuel bum-off, terodynemie downloed, banked turns, ete, and depend onthe ride and roll rates, Unfor- tunately, the choice of ide and roll rates depends oa the whee loads—a typical design problem. Tris necessary to start somewhere and then continu to iterate unt a reason- {ble solution is found. By making sore assumptions we an start the process of choos- ing suspension springs. “This chapter has litle o say about ride (comfort) inthe passenger car sense. Sof ride is ‘generally incompatible with the stiff springs that are required to control body mation in Folland pitch under the high lateral and longitudinal aceleratons found in racecars. For those cars that operate on benkings (oe with high aero download) the problem ex- tends to heave (pure vertical motion ofthe body) aswell. Good ride inthe passenger car ‘sense also dictates the relationship between front and rear natural frequeney whi ‘ually incompatible with rol stiffness requirements 16.1 Definitions Rates Before proceeding farther itis helpilto define the various suspension rates that are ‘commonly refered to, 1. Spring Rate—force pe unit displacement fora suspension sping alone. For col springs tis is measured axially along the centerline. For torsion bar springs itis ‘meesured atthe attachment arm, For leaf springs, measured atthe axle seat. The Ride and Roll Rates-Section 161 S81 spring rate may be linear (Fore increases proportionally with displacement) or nonlinear (increasing or decreasing rte with increasing displacement). Units are ‘ypically pounds/nch, as described in Chapter 21. 2, Wheel Contr Rate—vercl force por unt vertical displacement atthe location along the spindle coresponding © the wheel centerline, measured relative to the chassis. This rat is generally lower than the corresponding spring rate due to the insallation ratio, In other words, te whee spindle vertical travel is usually larger than the corresponding displacement ofthe spring, ‘Wheel center rat is equivalent to the axle vertical rate for (left-right symmetric) solid axle suspensions. For lea spring axles the wheel center rate may be nearly ‘qual to the spring rte. For taling arm installations where the spring is located further from the pivot than the te center the wheel center rate willbe higher ‘han the spring rate 3. Tire Rate—verical force per unit vertical displacement ofthe tire a its operating load. This canbe a large par ofthe total suspension spring on car with sf springing, designed for banked tacks or high aero dovnfoee 4. Ride Rate— vertical force per un vertical displacement of the tre ground con- tact reference point elatve tothe chasis. This is equal to the wheel center rate ‘modified bythe tre vertical rate. Foran infinitely tif te, the ride rate and ‘wheel center ates would be equal. For areal tre (with nite vertical sifiness) the ride rates always less than the wheel center rate 5. Roll Rate—moment (torque) resisting body roll pr degree of body roll. The tenm canbe applied to cither an individual ane or toa complete car. This resi tac by li provided by id neal tack wh nd atl bar (or z-bar) 6, Assumptions inthe above definitions include: + camber and no camber change with ide * No tre lateral distortion Both ofthese can modify the actual ride and roll ates but are too complex to be treated here. Expressing Ride and Roll Rates ‘The suspension spring rates can be deserved in several ways: ‘+ Undamped natural frequency ofthe body in rid, ‘+ Static wheel deflection in inches (one g vertical) for ride and in degress per § (ove g lateral) for roll, These can be thought of as ing and deg/e. ‘Wheel spring rateload (i bin, o b/d.)582 Race Car Vehicle Dynamics “The first two are directly relate by the cart in Figure 16.1 through the equation given in the chart. More common descriptions of ride and roll ates wed by race teams include: + Wheel center rates * Suspension spring rates “+ Physical dimensions ofthe actual springs and anti-ol bars These methods work as long as other factors remain constant. As soon asthe load, in- stallation ratio, acrodynamie characters, ec, change from one vehicle (or configure ) to another, wheel spring rate informatio alone will nt suffice to choose springs for the new configuration. 16.2 First Example with More Complete Calculations Approach Ride—One can start with a desired frequency o with a maximum whet travel / msxi- fnum load. Either one determines how bar/soft the ridethanding will be. Generally itis ‘desirable to have the suspension as sft as practical in ight of packaging, aerodynamic ‘down load, banked turn loads, roll stiffes (and roll sifiness distribution). The wn- damped ride frequency fora given configuration (the frequency ofthe body moving up land down on the springs) ean be determined from Figure 16.1, once the sate defection has beon estimated. Ride frequencies for sports cars typically run fom 70-90 cycles per nine, Older Indy type cars without ground effects run 95-120 epm. With ground ef- feat the frequencies ean become very high—several hundred cpm, Passenger crs, by comparison, can be very low—30-50 epm. ‘Wheel travels for several classes of vices are typically: (Offroad trucks #12 in. Passenger cars 4 in, Sportscars and small formula cars 420 4 in. Indy type cas (ground effects) +0.5 in. (or less) RollThe stifnes in oli conveniently expressed in normalized form as degrees of fol! per-unit lateral acceleration (dep). This s called the roll gradient. Table 16.1, ‘prepared forthe geAnalyst® “Operating instructions” (Ref. 91) gives some typical values Ke y) { | | 2 2 ‘x= Sate detocton fr.) Ride and Rol Rate - Section 162 gases sase se @ (sop) ouorbag = @ Figure 16.1 Ride natural frequency vs, static whee deflection. 583S84 Race Car Vehicle Dynamics Table 16.1 Typical Roll Gracionts, ed on Rot. 91 Very Soft—Economy and basic family transportation, both domastic and import, pre-1875, 85deg/o ‘Sot—Basie fami traneporation, domestic and import, ‘ator 1975. 75 Semi-Soft—-Contemnporary midele-market sedans, domesti. and impor. 79 ‘Semi-Fim—imported sport sedans. 60 Frm—Domestio spot sedans. 50 Very Fm—High-perfrmance domestis, suchas Camaro 2-28 and Firebird Trane Am. 42 Extromely Firm—Contemporaryvery-high-perfomance sport ‘suchas Corvette, and eteot cas extensively mode to increase rollttinss. 30 HardRacing cars only. 18 ‘ative Suspension —Sorvocontroledrllstiness. Rolin, zerorol, and rl-outall possible, - Ride Rate Specification / Independent Suspension “The problem the designer faces iso establish ride rte requirements forthe particular car in question, Ulimately ride rate requirements are based onthe wheel loading expeti= enced by th ear andthe wheel travel allowed in particular racing situation, Chapter 18 ‘describes calculations that can be made to determine wheel loadings fora fll range of ‘operational conditions. These whee! loads include the effets of aerodynamic down- Fore, banked tums, grade, ete. Unfortunate, the wheel loadings themselves depend on the distribution of ride and roll rates, resulting in atypical design problem. It becomes ‘necessary to make an initial estimate and continue to iterate until a reasonable solution to the problem is found ‘To describe this design procedure the following example is worked. Fist, some data is assumed forthe vehicle. This st of assumptions is used to calculate wheel loads and the ‘esul is used to caleulate new ride rates and oll ates. This data i compared with the ‘ested combination and found (aot surprisingly) to be off by abit. Changes are made in the assumptions and the proces is repeated until the desired result is achieved. This may 4 i i : i i ‘Ride and Rell Rates Section 162585 sound tedious and itis! Unfortunatly this problem doesnot have a “closed form!” solu- tion so an trative proces isthe only reasonable way to narrow inon a solution, Inthe following example we establish rice rats fora car that i traveling at 100 mph on ‘60-8 radius tara that is banked at 10°. Further we assume thatthe ca is left symmetric and independently suspended. For simplicity, assume that the aerodynamic lift and rolling moment coefficients ae zo and that driving torque and longitudinal ac- celeration are also zero. We will also use the simplified load calculation equations from Chapter 18, ‘The basi car is desribed by the following information: Weight: Wy = 102016. 1020 tb. Wp = 2040 tb W3~ 680 Ib W= 680 Ib, Wa.7 £360 1. Wr= 00, Dimensions: pase Res R= 158. (CGheigh) —-H=1.1 8 (CO to Roll Axis) ‘The comering condition is a left-hand tum where: (410 deg. (roadway bank angle) R= 600 ft (adius ofthe vehicle path, measured horizontally) V= 100 mph= 146.7 lsc. We assume the following information: Roll axis heights above ground: 29g = 0.25 fe an = 0.825 8. Zero drive torque and longitudinal acceleration: T= 00 Ax=00 Finally, we assume the following roll rts Kp 70,000 Ib.-t/rad = 1222 Bf dog, Kp = 50,000 Ib. ad. = 873 Ibft/de, ‘ote that because we don't yet know wht the rde rates are, we also don't know the rol, rates (a they are dependent on one anther). We therefore have to assume rol ate val- est start with, Also, because roll center locations can change with ride height and roll angle, we start with valus at the static design positions586 Race Car Vehicle Dynamics First calculate the CG position. See Chapter 18 fora more complet treatment, Wee _ 208095 Wr 300 78, a= f-b= 95-57 =38h ‘Since we have asymmetric ca, y”is zero, ‘Next, the lateral acceleration values relative tothe earth and the banked tum are caleu- lated. Again see Chaper 18 for a compete treatment. ae? ‘= Rg” 600% 322 Hugs Ay = Ag cosdt~ sina = (-L11 x cos-10)) ~ sin(-10) (09 + 017 = -092 g's Where Aq = Horizontal lateral acceleration ‘Ay= Lateral acceleration in car axis system “The effective weight ofthe ear due tothe banking is W! = W (Ag sina + cosa) = 3400 (-L11sin(-10) + cost-10)) 1400 11776 = 4004 Ib. And the effective front and rear axle weights are ‘The roll gradient is 3400 x 11 Ay” Kye +Kym 703000 + 50,000 = ~003117 radJg. ot ~ 1786 egg where 9 body roll angle fabian Ride and Roll Raer-Secion 162 S87 ‘Then the front and rear Interal load (weight) transfers due to the atral acceleration are Wp ye, (EEE en] 7. Wd 2005 202 (UAT, 510s) 120.000 * 95 Wy = -0092 x 680 «(0.642 + 015) = -495 1b, Wy = 92 x HOO (50000 4 38 ons 5 “(120000 * 9s Wr, = 092 x 680 x (0458 + 025) = ~143 1b, 3400 (usa a8 ) ‘The magnitude of A,coscs greater than the magnitude of sina so the outside wheel load increases (the vehicle is above the “neutral speed” for ths turn), Therefore the indi- ‘vidual wheel (ire) loads are: Front outside: Wyo = 2402/2 + 495 = 16961. Front inside: Wy, = 24022~495 = 706 Ib. Rear outside: Wa = 1602/2 +443 = 1244 ib Rear inside: Way ‘And the change from the stati loads measured on level ground are: Front outside: Wpo'= 1696 1020= +678 Ib. Front inside: Wy, ~706~ 1020 =-314 Bb. Rear outside: Wg = 1244— 680= +568 Ib Rear inside: Wyy = 358- 680=—222 Ib, ‘The next step isto choose ride rates that ae compatible with these whe! loads thats, ‘ates stiff enough 30 thatthe outside susensions do not bottom or contac the bump stops. If for example, you have 3.5 in. of ounce travel available then you might wish to use 25 in, to accommodate the weight increase allowing 1 i, for additional travel ue to acceleration, braking, and localized bums on the track. The important pont i to avoid590 Race Car Vehicle Dynamics Forthe sake of example, assume that a ear anti-roll bar cannot be fited to the ear but a ‘ont bar can o bring the total ont oll rate tothe assumed 70,000 Ib-furad. vale. AS ‘with the spring sizes, the actual choice of bar diameter and length is treated ltr. “The rol gradients then 3400 x14 = MOO = 9036 dig oF 206: 77.000 + 33840 See Ay ‘nd the revised front and rear weight transfers ae (assuming thatthe roll center heights do not change) Wp = -092 x 5 3400 , (_11x 70.000__, $7 [_11% 70000_, $7. 95 (raison 95 ) 92 x 680 > (0742 + 015) = -558 16 Wa = 092: Bxoms Hi ( 1133840 38 70,000 + 33840 " 95 5 = 092 680° (0355 +025) = -378 1b. ‘The outside wheel loads are: Front outside: Wyo 2402/2 + 5581759 1b, Rear outside: Wao 1602/2+ 378 = 1179 tb ‘The changes fom static loads ae: Front outside: Wy Rear ouside: Wr 759 1020 = 4739, 179 —680= +4991. “The corresponding wheel ride displacements are: p= 739/384.4-~ 1.92 Bq" 499/225.6 = 2.21 in Note: & here indicates a wheel position instead of steer angle. ‘The difference between the front rll rate of $7,660 and the desired 70,000 (that i, 12,340 Ib-ft/rad.) wl be made up by the font anti-ll ba. \We no longer need to change ride rates, We do need to propery size an antill bar. For this example, we have reached a compromise for ride and roll rates. This compro- [Ride and RollRates-Secion 162591 nis results in nearly te desired wheel travel inthis comeing situation. Obviously, in- dividual eases can require more iterations and more trade-off compromises. IMPORTANT —We have not made any evsluation of overfunderseer characteristics of the car. Ovet/underster is primarily a funsion of tre operating conditions and is changed by changing font and rear rll rates, rol center heights, aerodynamic lift coetf- iets, ete Given the deste ride and roll rats, the next section continues the analysis by adding in the effect of tie verical spring rat to arcive at wheel center rte, Transferring Ride/Roll Rates to Wheel Center Rates Rates for an Independent Suspension “The overall ride rte for suspension can be thought of asa series combination of two springs, one aetng betwoen te chassis andthe wheel center, the other acting between the wheel center and the ground. The first presents what ve cll the wheel center rates the seconds the vertical ire rate Having developed out required ridrol rats inthe previous section, we must now relate those rates tothe wheel center rates. The general formula and notation for linear springs in eties is treated in Chapter 21. The total rate, Sis given by SS. 5+S In this case, the total rate (nade up ofthe re and wheel center rates) and one ofthe to ‘pars (re rate) are known, ‘The following formula has been solved forthe whee! center rat; Key = EE Kr-Kp heey wheel er, andere, bn erste vera ti, ‘Continuing our example and assuming ate vertical rate of 2000 Ibn, the resulting front and rear wheel center rates areS88 Race Car Vehicle Dynamics bottoming the suspensions as this will cause a sudden change in wheel loading and upset the balance of the ear. Depending onthe typ of car and cieuit, imp rubbers or nonlin- ‘ear rsing rte springing also may be used. Here we present the simple cae of linear springs with no bump stop coatact “The allowed jounce travel tat we are dealing with at this point could be one of two choices: ‘+The effective chassis to ground travel (total ide travel) ‘+The allowed travel before contacting the bump stops (te travel between the chassis and wheel center. If the tire sping is infinitely stiff the calculations reflect both—the bump stop travel and chasis to ground travel are the same, If for example, the wheel centr rat and tire rate are the same then the bump stop travels 1/2 the ride travel. 1fone has a vehicle with fdequate ground clearance then concer is wth striking the bump stop (destabilizing). 1f {round clearencs is small, concern may be with bottoming out the car; this situation most ‘Commonly oecurs with aerodynamic ground effets and on banking Using the frst case above (total ride travel) we continue with the example, The front and rear suspension ride rates required are the load changes divided by the allowed ride travel @3in). Kpe= 678/25 = 2712 Ibn Kp = 564/2.5 = 225.6 Ib/in. Assuming side-to-side symmetry, ride frequencies canbe calculated: [Rggeiexa0d _ 1 (MDRIEN TT eg 1. ATE SEE ete 1 eee or any to or (op 1.61 Hz « 60 96.6 cpm. gE 1 eT ote 80 Hx 60 = 108.1 cpm [Note thatthe “12” inthe above formulas converts ride rate values fom fbn, to bt. for consistency with other unis and the 32.2 is” unit in fis. ‘ide and Rol Rates-Section 162589. From expetience, we know that on most rear.drve ace cars the ftont natural fequeney is higher than the rear, based on font olstiffness requirements. At this point, we note that eo cannot be less than 108 cpm without using up the 25 in. of bump travel—this cannot be decreased. Thus op wil be increased to 115 epm forthe following frst pass through the calculation, “To increase ey we squat the ratio ofthe atural frequencies: om “@pag (966; 2 us) = us? «1417 to ind the to of new too pension tes, The new ride rate is ama 417 #3844 in, ‘To chek, the new ty with this new Kp is 1 (pee mt ae With first pass atthe ride rates completed, we can now calculate the roll ates resulting from these ride rates and compare them with thse assumed atthe start ofthis example. ‘Assuming lft and right rde ates ae the same, these caleulations are 1921 He of 1921 60 = 1152 epm. ee fe = BEBE | OS a aon xth x 2256 x sg = BARE, BASF atom td [Note that ifthe left and right sie ride rates are not the same, the roll rate calculation is : ines eK, ky Re) ‘where the subscripts“ and“R” indicate the left and right side values, respectively. “These calculated rol tes ae consideraly lower than those assumed atthe star of the ‘example, even wit the increase infront natural fequency. If anti-roll bar installation is ‘possible, the differences canbe made up by selection of suitable bar.592 Race Car Voice Dynamics Kyyp = 284% 2000 2 76 in, 2000 — 3844 eee ice Kn = 2000 - 2256 ‘Asis seen, the wheel center rate is higher (stiffer) than the ride rate when ate ate is included i the calculation, Wits the nt wheel centr te known we tn now nina te ana ol tht Inst be povided by the antl ba Theis clei flow Kyoes «(12x Ky x72) 12% Ke «(7) = Koes] - 2x Ky xt where Kops desired total rol rate, brad. ‘Ky = wheel center rate, Ibi, For ou sample front suspension, we had a desired total roll rate of 70,000 Ib. /ad. but had only $7,660 Ib. /rad. provided by the front ride ates acting in roll. Therefore the adgitonal ol rate required (referred to the wheel centers) i 0,00 x 12 2000 x $*/2) 476 x 3) faxr00x( 6A) 7oou) 7 Kya 94304 — 71,400 = 19904 Ib-furad., 4168 Ib-in deg. Knowing these values, we can now refer our wheel center rates to actual suspension com- ponent ae, that is, springs and anti-roll bars. Rates for an Aste Suspension For sold axle suspension the calculation of ride and roll rates is somewhat more com- plicated because the springs are not effectively positioned at the outboard track locations. [Because they are inboard ofthe track, the springs are effectively softer in roll than the Geese ‘ide ond Rol Rates-Secton 162,583, same ride rates would be fora comparable independent suspension, Itis therefore neces: fary to decouple the axe springs in the rie and rll modes and to work directly with spring rates (effective a the axle location) aher than ride rates to solve the problem. ‘As nthe previous section the vertical aerate (foreach side is found by removing the tire ae from the axle ide rate Ky = ERE Kr-Ke where Ky ~ vertical axle rat bin Ky = fide rat, din. p= teat, “The vertical ane rate isthe installed spring rte fora leaf spring suspended axle, but may not necessarily be the spring rate for other types of axle suspensions (ee the next section on installation ratios). ‘The coll rte due tothe vertical axle rate can then be calculated by the following equa- tion: 2 (KTH) 12 (Ry x) Ke 22 (ky EA) 12 (Kw x TEP) where Ky = roll rate brad. y= tire rate, Ibn an ant-ol bars inchuded, the equatior becomes: x Ky x TE) x (12% Kp x HA) (Ban #12 x Ry + (12K 2 TEA) ‘where Ryyx= oll ate ofthe anti-roll bar, Ib.-ft/ra. of body roll. ‘We should note that a leaf spring axle typically as a roll ate that is 30-50% greater than provide by the laf springs vertical rate due o lateral and torsional deletion ofthe Teaves, in this cae we can use (asuming 2 40% increase):594 Race Car Vehicle Dynamics Rag = 04X12 Ky xTE/2 inthe above equation, fe modify our previous exemple so thet we have a Hotchkiss rea axle (leaf spring, live axle) with spring track of 3.5 8 and the same ear ride rates of 25.6 Ib/in, then ‘And the rll rat is callated from: Raye = 04 125254 35%/2 = 7468 Keg = [ASH 2 254354) (22x 200 « 9) = a4 ws 8 [raga + (12 x 254% 35"22)] + (12x 2000 37) wat ote tat his is a substantial decrease in rol ate fom that forthe comparable indepen- dent rar suspension cae a result of moving the spring inboard ofthe wheel enter ‘The rol gradient is then: = 000398 rad/g oF 223 deg /g ‘And the revised ftont and rear weight transfers are (assuming that the rll center heights do not change): Wp = -092 200, 1170000, 57 99) 5“ 7a000+ 24082 * 95 = -0192 x 680 (0819 + 015) = ~606 1 3400 so [_Mx 24082, 38, maa 9s") 92 x 680 x (0.281 +025) = 332 1. ‘Ride and Roll Rate -Secton 163595. ‘The ouside wheel loads ae: Front outside: Rear outside: ‘The changes from state loads ae: Front outside: Wro= 1807-1020 = 4787 fb. Rearutside: Wao = 1133 ~ 680 = +453 1b. 16.3 Installation Ratios ‘To this point we have been dealing wit he rates (cither ride or rol that are effective at the ground or the wheel center. These ats ultimately determine the steady-state turing performance ofa car through thee ifluere on wheel loads. The next step isto deter ‘ne spring and anti-roll bar characteris needed to give us the desired ride and roll fates. In order to accomplish his stp, we introduce the concept of installation ratio. “The installation ratio isa geometric concept that relates the change in length (or angle) of «foree-producing devies (eg. 2 spring, shock absorber, or antirll bar) toa change in ‘erial wheel center movement. Iti elly the inverse of mechanical advantage and can be illustrated by the sketch of a simple tiling arm suspension shown in Figure 162. Figure 16.2 Installation ratio fora simple suspension. ‘As seen inthe figuze, a taling arm is pivoted onthe chassis at point P. The spring acts fata distance “x” along the am from the pivot, The whee! centers ata distance “b” from the pivot. Due tothe different dimensiors "a" and “b,” asthe wheel moves vertically an amount x, the spring compresses an amount Ay. ‘Te installation ratio is defined asthe596 Race Car Vehicle Dynandes rate of change of spring compression with wheel movement, or Ay/Ax, If“b” is twice "a" the yi half Ax and the fore atthe wheel center, W, is half the free a the spring, ‘(the installation rato times the spring force). Because the installation ratio reduces both the force and displacement of the spring, it must be squared to relate whee! center rate to spring rate. “The instalation ratio is commonly sed by itself to relat a suspension wheel center rate toa sping rat. Ifthe change in spring compression is always the same fora unit change in wheel center position, the installation rato i always constant, thats all we need toknow. However, itis common for automobile suspensions to have an installation ratio that varies with wheel center poston. Ifthe linkage ratio isnot constant, we need to know how it varies in order to relate the rates to one anther, A detailed analysis of te problem yield the formula: Ky 6 (SB) Kar where Ky = whee! rate, Ib/in, y= spring force, Ib = spring rate, Ibn IR = installation ratio AIR/AS = change of installation ratio with wheel displacement “The first term in the above formulas called the geometric rate. Asis seen in the for- ‘mula if the change of installation ratio with wheel displacement i zero, then the wheel ‘ate i elated to the spring rate ony by the installation ratio squared with no geometric rate term, oF Ky= KOR? For racecars that ae stfly sprung this is usually a sufficiently accurate approximation to "ballpark spring ats for inital set-up eventhough the installation ratio may vary. oowever one should be aware that as ride rates or ride frequencies decreas, the error in using ths approximation can become very significant ‘As an example, Figure 163 shows the installation rato asa function of whee ride posi- tion for atypical double wishbone suspension. sis seen, the installation ratio changes considerably, especialy as the suspension goes into jounce. We can find the change of {installation ratio from this figure and then calulate the true wheel rate and its component parts (hat isthe geomecic rate andthe installation ratio squared times the spring rate) fo various spring rates. Table 162 suramarizes those calculations for thre sping rates. "The geomet rate for this suspension is negative and nearly constant fr al three spring rates, For the sof spring rae it is nearly equal in magnitude tothe total whee! rae ide ond Roll Rater-Secion 163597 poe : Joo i = Figure 163 Installation ratio asa function of ride travel This example illustrates that for sofly sprung suspensions, neglecting fo consider the ‘geomeri ate erm ean ead to large errs in the true wheel rate. The effect is muck less significant for sf suspensions than for sft ones. In general, if the slope ofthe installation ratio is negative (as in Figure 16:3, IR de- creases as jounce increeses), the geometric rate term will result in deerease in wheel rate From te installation ratio square times spring rate term. If itis positive (increases with ‘nreasing jounee, it will ineease the wheel rat—so-called “risingrate” spring installa- tions have tis characteristic, which i somewhat similar to sing progressive bump rub- bers ‘Table 1622 Effect of inatllaton Ratio with Different Spring Rates ‘Spring Rate times Installation Ratio. Wheel Spring Rate Geometric Rate ‘Squared ate 200 2348 5087 209 00 “2074 16182 13688 1200 25.82 3.28 poest (atieatos aro bun.)598 Race Car Vehicle Dynamics Finding the Installation Ratio for Linear Springs “The installation ratio fr any given suspension can be found by several methods: + Drafting layout + Direct measurement + Computer analysis. Drafting layou is traditional method atte suspension design stage and canbe sed With exiting suspension if accurate measurements of pivot point locations, suspension ‘arm lengths, spring mount location, et, can be made. The proces involves drawing the complet suspension system at various equally spaced ride heights and measuring the spring length at each ride height. The change in spring length divided by the change in ‘ide height isthe installation ratio. ‘This is tabulated against che average ride height for cach change (that i ifthe ride eight changes from 1.0 to L.S in, the average is 1.25 in), Finally graph similar to that showm in Figure 16.3 an be drawn showing how the in- stlltin rato changes with ie position. “The direct measurement method is similar tothe drafting layout method except tht it involves physical measurements on an actual suspension, This ean be best accomplished by removing the spring and blocking up the chassis enough o allow full range of suspen sion motion. Then, from the static rde height position, accurate measurements must be ‘made ofthe spindle height change (at the wheel centerline) and the spring length change (distance between the upper and lower spring mounts along the spring centerline). A tabulation and plot ean then be produced as described above, ‘We should note that both ofthese procedures canbe used for either independent o axle suspensions, However, for axle suspensions the entire axle mast be moved vertically in ido relative to the car. Any change in axle roll angle wil result in large erors, ‘The disadvantage ofthese two procedures i that they are generally not accurate enough to give te geomeric rate with a reat deal of precision, For a sfly sprung suspension, the uncerity inthe tr geometric rate can amount to a considerable eror inthe ealeu- lated wheel rte. Nevertheless they are accurate enough to indicate whether the geomet- ic cte will subtract from or ad tothe sprng-zte times installation-ratiosquared term, by indicating the slope of the installation ratio vs ride height, ‘The third method mentioned above, that of computer analysts, is most accurate but of course requires a suitable computer program. Italso requires accurate dimensions of the suspension components asthe outpt from any computer program is only a8 good asthe ‘input. Inthe pat, suitable suspension analysis programs were usualy custom-made for ‘manufacturers and large-scale rave teams and were generally not availble to tho racing community. Now ths software is available from a numberof source, for example, the Ride and Rol Rates-Secion 163599 ‘SAE (1993-94) offers a Professional Development Seminar inthe use of one such pro- ‘gram named SKAT. Installation Ratio for Torsional Springs ‘Generally the same comments hold tue for torsional springs as for linear springs. 10 fact, if the torsion bar rat is available in rms of fore vs, linear displacement ofthe end ofthe torsion bar lever arm, the analysis isthe same as for linear springs wit the effec- tive spring length change being the chang in vertical poston ofthe torsion bat lever st- tachment point tothe suspension. However, if oly the torsion bar rate alone (in nits of| Th-inJdog) is known, we ean get the effective installation ratio ofthe lever arm and its attachment point directly from measurement. This involves measurement ofthe lever ‘arm angle change fr incremental changes in ride height and is accomplished with an in- linometer ina manner similato tat for linear springs. Be sue to measure the lover farm angle in a plane perpendicular tothe axis ofthe torsion bar. Given the torsion bar rat, the wheel rate canbe approximated as: 2 x, = Kole srs) where Ky = approximate effective wheel rate, Ib/in. Kp = torsion bar rate 1b.-in des. Ty = torsion bar installation rato, deg/in, Installation Ratio for Anti-Roll Bars For conventional anti-roll bars as eppiedo an independent suspension, the overall in stallation rato, in terms of depres (or radians) ofbar twist per degree of chassis rolls ‘needed to determine the contribution ofthe anti-roll ba at to the total roll rate ofthe car. This rquires knowledge of: +The anti-roll bar lever arm length, measured between the centerline ofthe bar and the point of attachment to a suspension member. + The instalation ratio between te suspension member point of attachment and the wheel center ‘The contribution ofthe anti-roll bar to the total rol rate is: Kos «ii( 3)600 Race Cur Vehicle Dynamics where Kyg = contribution ofthe anti-roll bar rate to the total carroll rte, Ib.-At/dep. anti-roll bar angular (evi) rate, Ib-R/deg, ‘T= antioll bar lover arm 1g linear installation ratio ofthe anti-roll bar, inches of bar attachment point movement per inch of wheel center movement, nin T= track wih, ‘The same formula can be used for conventional ant-oll bar applied to a solid axle ex- cept that the linear installation ratio (lg) must be determined with ol (not ide) move ‘ment ofthe axle, Some axle installations have inherent ol stiffness it may be necessary to actually test the entire assembly to determine the axle roll te. 16.4 Finishing the First Example Case From catir in this chapter, our deste front wheel rate was 475 Ibn. Assuming that ‘he installation rato ofthe front sprigs is as shown in Figure 16.3, we ean calculate the spring rte required as: Ky |_475 i, = So 25 1709 si, + RE asast = 179 [Note that we are neglecting the geometric rat; for this installation ratio it is negative and it would be appropriate to increase this spring rat by about 10%. Also, the additonal font ol rate tobe provided bythe anti-ol bar was 19,900 Ib-fttad, (03473 Ib-fu/dog. Assuming a lover arm length of 9, (0.75 ft.) and a linear installa- tion ratio of 03 in/in, our anti-roll bar rate must be Kyat? _ 3473 (0781) or 4975 te-Rurad, 868 b-ftideg. From these values we can then calulate the physical characteristics of the springs and anti-roll bars that are needed based on the information given in Chapter 21. ‘Asa final note, we emphasize that all ofthe above calculations are for an “deal” ea, that is, one that has a totaly rigid chasis (especially in torsion), hati totally fee of fiction, and that has no compliance in pivots, mounts, et. While this “ideal” car ean never be achieved, the idealized calculation illustrates how various suspension elements work to ‘ether. This technique can be used to give frst esimate of spring and anti-roll bar saes to sot up new racecar. Rie and Roll Rates Sections 164,165 601 16.5 Second Example with Simplified Calculations Approach 1f through experience, you know the basic characteristics that you want to achieve fora paricular cr type, a simpler set of calculations ean usvally get you very close tothe {pring and anti-tll stabilize) bar rates hat work well with the car. In this section a set ‘of ealeulations i given for a racing sports sedan. This particular class of car has a mini- ‘num weight of 2325 Ib. with algal maximum of $2% rear weight (without driver and ful) As rear tres are allowed tobe large than fonts the basic weight distribution shouldbe 1116 ib, font and 1209 Ib, reat, right onthe 52% point. Assuming 25 gallons of fuel is required fora 100-mie ace, a fuel weight distribution of 23% font and 125% rear (he fuel tank s behind the rear axle), anda diver weight of 160 Ib. and 68.4% on the reat we can calculate the weights front and rear with diver plus half tank of ful as in Table 16.3. ‘Table 16.3 Detator simplified Example ‘Symbol Front. «eer Total %Front Basie car weight (b. 1161209, 2305480 owe st 109 1681.8 Hal 0 (77.5) 7598 ‘Totawoight(b) «WesWp 1140.5 14195025 44.85 Uneprung weight.) Wue,Wy -170-250 Sprung weight) Wer,Wsp 979 1168214254572 catewniny 8 a [wooo te fide dnl we know that a front ede ftequency (0) of 1.9 Haz anda rear ide frequency (x) of 1.7 He will work well on this car, we can calculate the spring rates required. For the font, the ride rate is A202 Weg /2)_ 4OSTPIITISY a nn602 Race Car Vehicle Dynamics Given a tire rate (K) of 200 Ibi, the wheel center rate is Kpe Kp__ 181 2000) = 199 bin, cq —Kep 2000-181 Kyp = Finally front spring installation ratio or linkage ratio (LR) of 0.728, the font spring rates Kup 199 Kp = King = 192) 2 375 won SF TRp 0728 Similarly, fora rear ride frequency (op) of 1.7 Hz, we can calculate the rear spring rte required: alah Wen /2) , 4 987K" )0169/2) k, = 172 Ton eas) 3864 Given tire rte (Ky) of 2000 Ibn, the whee center rate is Kyp = BRK = 172 2000) 58 tin, Kr —Kae 2000-172 ly, applying a rer spring installation ratio (LR) of 0.9615, the rear spring ate is Keg = 0 = 8 208 in int” ao6is Roll Analysis ce we have completed the ride analysis, we can do the roll analysis in onder to caleu- Tate our antrol bar requirements, Ths requires additonal information about be ear which is summarized in Tble 16.4 ‘Sprung mass CG height: pg = Nr Woe Rp ~ Won Rg Ws. __ 25625 (15) 170 (1125) - 250 (1275) _ 1555 21425 ee Ride and Roll Rtex-Seeton 165 603 ‘Table 16.4 Additional Data for Simplified Examplo—Roll Propertios Poll conor heights (rn) ‘Tire static loaded rads (SLR, in) yl 14.25 1275 “Track (in) Tete 6558 6450 Spring rage ratio Ue tha 0728 0.9615, ‘Stabilzer bar nkage rato Lop LB ost 1.00 Rar spring track (in) ‘Sprung mass weight distribution: ag = st - 75. «45.75 front Ws” 21025 fling monet ver am naw = bs [20+ @n-ZeXt-a5)] = 1556 ~ [34 + (68 ~ 31)(1- 0.457] = 10.45 in, Rolling moment per g lateral acceleration: My _ hanes = 1045 (21825) 966 mp eed 2 If from our experience, we know that a rll gradient of 1.6 deg/g is desirable fr this car, then we can caleulte the roll ate require: My/Ay _ 1866, ey = Maly — 1866 «1166-2. ° RG 16 Attia point we know te tal ol ate we want forthe car and mus now determine how tmoch mst be provided bythe stabilizer barat the fon and er. Fit we calculate the fvailable rol ae om he springs lone: ont pring rol ate (independent susension): . 101 (6558) ‘esr 1375 1375 566 fide.604 Race Car Vehicle Dynamics Roar pring ol ats (lives): (Kun x Tr x72) 1575( Rnd + KTR) {188 x 471°)(2000 x 64.5°) isin?) + a(n) The tl viable rl ate fom the rings Kyg=$66-+289 855 bdo Kyser = ‘Therefore the stabilizer bars mst provide: Kyg= 1166-855 311 Ih-ft/deg. Itis now necessary to size the font andrea bars. In order to do tis we must know what lateral load transfer distribution to use. Again, based on experience with his specific racing sedan, we stat witha front load transfer distribution of 5% more than the weight distribution. "In ths cage we choose a front load transfer distribution of 49.85%, ‘The total load transfer is BE Wek Ay Toe where Tayg i the average front and rear track, (Tp + Tp) ‘TLTVA, = 2562.5)15Y65~ 591 Iba ‘Therefore we want a front load transfer (FLT) of 0.4985 x 591 = 295 IbJe. Calculation of front rll stifnss (Ke) required sur Reh , Wte , Mune aye 12Kyr).6 | g79stau) , 170(1125) 6558” G58 SSE = 02928 Kyp +463 +292 ide and Rol Rater-Section 165605 Kye = 095 — 463 -292/0.2928 = 750 Ib.-ft/de. The front ol sifness must therefore be 150 Ib-t/deg. Since the springs provide S66 Ib Auldeg,the front stabilize bar mast provide (750 ~ $66) = 184 Ib-ft/deg. The rear ‘bar must provide the difference between te total, fron and tat given by the rear springs Kyan = Kp— Ke — Kya = (1165 ~ 750~ 289) = 127 Ib..Aeg, Lecaus the linkage ratio for the ear ba 1.0, the bar itself must be sized to produce 127 Ibeft/deg. However, forthe front bar the linkage ratio is 0,691. Therefore the bar itseif must produce: Kye = 184/(0,6912) =385 tpg. of body roll Itshould be note that inorder to use thiscalulation method you must know what char- sctersties work best forthe particular typeof eat you are dealing with. [nother words, a {ood deal of experience is necessary. Some general characteristics that have proven sue- ‘cessful for road ercult cars are summarize in Table 165. ‘Table 16.5 Suggested Numbers for Simplified Method Fide Frequoncies Non-aaro sedans 1.6.2.0 Hz (with tron high ‘ero cars, 8.05.0 He (with front higher) Roll Gaine ‘Sedane 10-.8deq/9 ‘ero cars 025-0.569/9 Tus “To insure ital understoar, cleuato the Tota Lateral Load Trantor Distribution (TLLTD) to bo 5% mors than the weight stibuton atthe front.