“DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT OF REGENERATIVE SUSPENSION SYSTEM

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

Semester: VII Term: 12/09/22 – 30/12/22

Seminar report
On
“DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT OF REGENERATIVE SUSPENSION SYSTEM”

Submitted by:

Ayan Sohraab 1MS19ME034

RAMAIAH INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

(Autonomous Institute, Affiliated to VTU)

Bangalore

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“DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT OF REGENERATIVE SUSPENSION SYSTEM

DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING

CERTIFICATE
This is to certify that the following student who was working under our guidance have
satisfactorily completed the seminar work entitled, “DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT OF
REGENERATIVE SUSPENSION SYSTEM” to the best of our understanding, the work

submitted in the report does not contain any work which has been carried out previously
by others and submitted by the candidates for themselves for the award of any degree
elsewhere.

NAME OF THE STUDENT

AYAN SOHRAAB (1MS19ME034)

______________________ ____________________

Signature of HOD Signature of Principal

RAMAIAH INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

(Autonomous Institute, Affiliated to VTU)

Bangalore

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“DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT OF REGENERATIVE SUSPENSION SYSTEM

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I would like to place on record our acknowledgement to the following people who
played an instrumental role in the successful completion of the report.
Thanks are due to our principal Dr. N.V.R. Naidu for all his support extended in
carrying out this Seminar report.
Gratitude is due to Dr. Raji George, Head, Department of Mechanical Engineering,
MSRIT, for having provided us with all necessary permissions for carrying out the
Seminar Report and for providing wonderful learning opportunities.

I, thank the faculty of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, MSRIT, for their
constant support and encouragement.
Thanks to both teaching and non-teaching facilities for the kind help at last.

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“DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT OF REGENERATIVE SUSPENSION SYSTEM

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

SL NO. TITLE PAGE NO.

1 ABSTRACT 5

2 INTRODUCTION 6

3 LITERATURE REVIEW 7

4 PROBLEM DEFINITION AND OBJECTIVES 14

5 METHODOLOGY 15

6 REFRENCES 16

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“DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT OF REGENERATIVE SUSPENSION SYSTEM

1. ABSTRACT

The Suspension system used in the vehicles helps to absorb the shocks produced by the irregular
surface of the road. Traditional Hydraulic Suspension system dissipates this vibrational energy into
waste heat energy to suppress the vibration
As Vehicles are moving towards energy-saving and electrification, this project aims in developing a
regenerative suspension system that could help in regaining Vibration energy. In order to effectively
utilize the energy, the energy-regenerative suspension with energy recovery that converts that
vibrational energy into a vehicle's energy supply equipment
This recovered energy is stored in the battery which is supplied to the auxiliary sub-systems of the
vehicle to increase the fuel efficiency and also the range of the electric vehicles. This project aims the
development of a technology for vehicles that combines dynamics, safety, and comfort characteristics
with minimum energy consumption.
The technology is also capable of using this motion of the damper pistons to recover energy and drive
it to the electro-hydraulic unit. Basically, it transforms kinetic energy into electricity to feed a motor,
thereby reducing emissions

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“DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT OF REGENERATIVE SUSPENSION SYSTEM

2. INTRODUCTION

The vehicle manufacturers have made costly strides to improve fuel economy. Car designers also spend
great deal of effort to reduce wind drag so as to improve fuel economy through streamlined low drag
vehicle body design. Manufacturers also use lighter material to reduce the weight of vehicle and
ultimately to reduce fuel consumption. It is well known that automobiles are inefficient, wasting over
74% of energy stored in fuel as a heat. Major energy losses are engine losses (62.5%), idle and standby
(17.2%), braking losses (5.8%), rolling resistance (4.2%) & drive line losses (5.2%), accessory usage
(2.5%), and aerodynamic drag (2.6%) [10]. To recover energy from 5.8 % braking losses, regenerative
braking systems are developed and successfully implemented in electric vehicles. One important
energy loss in automobiles is the dissipation of vibration energy in vehicle suspension system. When
a vehicle travels on rough road, the vibrations are produced. These vibrations have not been yet
considered for energy recovery and are wasted through conversion into thermal energy. If all the
available vibration energy is recovered, it is possible to use regenerative shock absorber to charge the
battery of vehicle, instead of alternator. Thus, alternator load on vehicle engine can be decreased or
removed completely. If say 3% of fuel efficiency of vehicle is improved by this energy recovery
scheme, by considering number of vehicles in world, huge amount of fuel can be saved. Thus, energy
recovery from suspension system is necessary to reduces fuel consumption. Eventually it will reduce
pollution of air by lesser emission of pollutant gases.

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“DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT OF REGENERATIVE SUSPENSION SYSTEM

3. LITERATURE REVIEW

3.1.1 Suspension System:

The ability of vehicles to negotiate rough roads and handle well at high speeds is mainly due to proper
design of suspension system. If the axles are bolted directly to the body, any uneven spot in the road
would transmit a jarring force to the vehicle which in turn result in discomfort for riding Hence the
automobile chassis is mounted on the axle through springs. This is done to isolate shocks on the vehicle
body from road. The parts which perform the function of isolating the vehicle from road shocks are
called suspension system.

The main objectives of the suspension system are:

1. To prevent the road shocks from being transmitted to the vehicle parts, thereby providing suitable
riding and cushioning effect to the occupants.

2. To keep the vehicle stable while in motion by providing good road holding during driving, cornering
and braking.

3. Provides safe vehicle control and free pf irritating vibrations.

4. Reduces wear on the tyre.

3.1.2 Requirements

1. Vertical vibrations and pitching: The damper present in suspension system eliminates the vibrations
caused due to striking of front wheel to a bump. However, rear wheel also experiences similar
vibrations as it reaches the bump after some time and this depends on wheel base and vehicle speed.
There are three possible relations of front and rear suspension frequencies.

i) Front frequency higher than the rear - After the initial vibration i.e., after one or two vibrations the
maximum amplitude occurs.

ii) Front frequency equal to rear - The amplitude collapses throughout, though pitching tendency still
exists

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“DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT OF REGENERATIVE SUSPENSION SYSTEM

iii) Front frequency lesser than the rear - Practically there is no pitching tendency. So, It is clear that
in order to reduce pitching tendency of the vehicle, the (iii) condition is suitable.

2. Rolling: The center of gravity of the vehicle will be at certain height above the ground level. A
turning couple about the longitudinal axis of the vehicle will be induced during cornering because of
the centrifugal force acting at C.G and forces at tyre road contact surface. This results in a motion
called rolling. The manner in which the vehicle is sprung determines the axis about which the vehicle
will roll.

3. Brake dip: When the brakes are applied, the vehicle nose has a tendency to be lowered or to dip.
This in turn depends up on C.G position relative to the ground, wheel base, and other suspension
characteristics

4. Unsprung weight: When the wheels hit a bump, they vibrate along with the unsprung parts which
stores the vibration energy and transmit it to the sprung parts through the springs. When the weight of
unsprung parts if greater, it increases energy stored due to vibrations and thus transmits greater shocks
to the sprung parts. Therefore, it is necessary to keep the unsprung weight as low as possible.

3.13 Types of Suspension Springs

1. Steel springs

a) Leaf spring b) tapered leaf spring c) coil spring d) torsion bar

2. Rubber Spring

a) compression spring b) compression - shear spring c) Steel reinforced spring d) progressive spring
e) Face shear spring

3. Air springs

a) Bellow type b) piston type.

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“DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT OF REGENERATIVE SUSPENSION SYSTEM

3.1.4Types of Suspension System

Following are the types of the suspension system used in vehicles:

1. Front End Suspension System

The front-end suspension is more complicated than the rear end suspension because the front wheels
not only move up and down with respect to the car frame but also swing at various angles to the car
frame for steering. In order to
permit the front wheels to swing to
one side or the other for steering,
each wheel is ported on a spindle
which is part of the steering
knuckle. The steering knuckle is
then supported through ball joints,
by upper and lower control arms
which are attached to the car frame. Fig 1 Front end suspension system

• Rigid Axle Front Suspension

Rigid axle front suspension is also called as dependent front suspension. This type of suspension uses
a solid axle. This type of suspension has been universally used before drawing the independent front
wheel suspension. This design consists of one steel or aluminium beam extending the width of the
vehicle. This beam is held in place by leaf springs. This design also uses kingpins and bushings to
attach the wheels outboard of the axle. Because of its load carrying ability, the solid axle is only used
on heavy trucks, and off-road vehicles. It is not suitable for use on modern passenger cars for three
important reasons

• Independent Front Suspension

The independent front suspension was developed in the 1930’s to improve vehicle ride control and
riding comfort. In this type of suspension, each front wheel is mounted on its own axle and
independently supported by a coil or torsion bar or leaf spring. This allows the wheels to respond
individually to road conditions. Now-a-days, all vehicles use this suspension system. Coil springs are
commonly used in this suspension system. This suspension system completely prevents the wheel

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“DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT OF REGENERATIVE SUSPENSION SYSTEM

wobble. A greater wheel movement is utilized without affecting the steering system. The steering
conditions and qualities are improved by a wider spacing of the front springs.

2. Rear End Suspension System

Following are three types of rear-end suspensions generally found in vehicles.

• Longitudinal and Transverse Leaf Spring Rear End Suspension

Longitudinal leaf spring and coil spring rear end suspensions are widely used in modern vehicles.
Transverse leaf spring rear end suspension is used in conjunction with the Hotchkiss drive, the leaf
springs must be made strong and
resilient enough to transmit the
driving thrust and torque to resist
sideways, in addition, to hold the
spring weight of the body. Fig 2 Longitudinal leaf spring suspension

The spring weight is kept as less as possible, in order to improve the side of the vehicle. Because the
springs do not generally support the wheels, rims, tyres, brakes and rear axles, the weight of these parts
is called the spring weight. The spring is clamped the rear-axle housing by U-bolts, its every end is
pivoted to the frame, by means of eyes
formed in the ends of the longest leaf. One
end of the long leaf is secured to the front
hanger by a bolt and the other end to the
rear hanger by spring shackles. Both the
hangers are bolted to the frame. The spring
elongates in compression and shortens in
expansion. This change in length of the
spring is compensated by a shackle. Fig 3 Heavy Duty Truck suspension

At the middle position of the spring length, the rebound clips are placed. They are loose enough to
permit the leaves to slide on the other, and yet tight enough to permit the leaves together when the
spring rebounds. The spring eyes are usually provided with bushings or some anti-friction material,
such as bronze or rubber.

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“DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT OF REGENERATIVE SUSPENSION SYSTEM

• Coil Spring Rear End Suspension

This type of suspension is always used in conjunction with torque tube, torque reaction link, or torque
rod drive. Therefore, the coil springs are not subjected to driving thrust or twist. Stabilizers and radius
rods are also used which relieve the coil springs of all stresses except those acting in a vertical direction.
The stabilizer prevents excessive roll or sideways when the car is concerning.

The radius rod keeps the rear axle and frame in lateral alignment. The coil springs are seated in pan-
shaped brackets spring seats attached to the rear axle.

3.1.5 Regenerative Suspension System

Suspension system is used to support the weight of the vehicle and absorb the larger & smaller impacts
of the vehicle. Vehicles are developing in the direction of energy-saving and electrification. Traditional
hydraulic energy-supply suspensions dissipate vibration energy as waste heat to suppress vibration.
This Regenerative suspension system helps in converting a proportion of vibrational energy into useful
electrical energy by charging the battery of the vehicle and the regenerated energy stored in the battery
is supplied to the auxiliary system of the vehicle.

3.1.6 Ways to harvest energy in vehicle suspension

There are multiple techniques proposed for converting vibration energy of suspension system to
electrical energy called transfer mechanisms. In kinetic energy recovery scheme, movements, often in
the form of vibrations are converted into electrical energy. Major transfer mechanisms are
piezoelectric, hydraulic and electromagnetic.

o In piezoelectric system, Peizo electric material is located in top part of damper of suspension
system. When vehicle is excited by road bump, the upward movement of piston cause fluid to
compress and strain is applied on Peizo electric material. Charge develops across the normal
to direction of vehicle displacement.

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“DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT OF REGENERATIVE SUSPENSION SYSTEM

o In Hydraulic system, pressurized oil is passed through small turbine form pipes connected to
oil chamber, causing it to rotate. Advantage of this system is that it can harvest energy in both
expansion and compression cycles of shock absorber.

o Electromagnetic system is based on Faraday‟s Law of electromagnetic induction. Flux

associated with the coils is varied by movement of wheel, magnetic flux lines are cut and a
voltage is generated. Advantage of this system is that there is no heat generation due to friction.

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“DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT OF REGENERATIVE SUSPENSION SYSTEM

3.2Literature Survey

A literature review was carried out to understand the recent development in the concerned area. Several
conference and journal articles were referred and presented their findings in the following paragraphs.

[1] This paper is about converting mechanical energy into electromagnetic energy through an actuator,
and the electromagnetic energy is stored by energy storage elements, which can reduce vibration and
recover excess energy.
[2] This paper focus on the amount of energy that is dissipated from a moving vehicle and the potential
of recovering the lost energy through the suspension system. And the design of regenerative shock
absorber to replace the conventional.
[3] This paper is a comprehensive review on energy harvesting based vehicle suspensions. Specifically,
it focuses on an analytical and statistical study of the vehicle regenerative suspensions and reviewing
the concepts, designs, simulations, test rig experiments and vehicle road tests. The most common
energy harvesting systems in vehicle suspensions are compared in terms of advantages and limitations.
[4] This paper investigated the performance of a car suspension embedded with TMDs, including
vehicle suspension dynamics and energy harvesting regenerative ability of the proposed TMD device
under both random and bumpy road profiles. The vehicle dynamics and energy harvesting regenerative
ability of the created 11-DOFs full car model with TMDs were analysed under random road profiles
and bump excitations with respect to different driving speeds from 10–30 m/s.
[5] The proposed regenerative active suspension system for the in-wheel motor driven electric vehicles
is verified as a practical solution to simultaneously improve the dynamic and energy conservation
performances of vehicles.
[6] This process pumps back electricity into the car's battery, thus minimizing usage of fuel by the
engine's alternator to recharge the battery. This system will work best on roads with plenty of
imperfections as it will allow the damper piston to move quite a bit and in turn harness electricity
through the ZF-Levant valve system.

[7] BMW patents battery-charging suspension systemThe patent includes a small generator, flywheel,
and clutch in the suspension that acts to capture energy during this process. When the suspension spring
compresses the stabiliser bar twists in one direction, rotating an ‘actuator disc’.When the spring
decompresses, releasing the energy stored on the compression stroke, the stabiliser arm rotates in the
other direction, turning the actuator disc in the opposite direction. This time, however, a clutch allows

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“DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT OF REGENERATIVE SUSPENSION SYSTEM

the disc to drive the generator through a small gearbox.When the generator’s flywheel spins, it
generates electricity which can then be fed into the battery.

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“DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT OF REGENERATIVE SUSPENSION SYSTEM

4. PROBLEM DEFINITION AND OBJECTIVES

4.1 Problem Definition

There is a significant reduction in the efficiency of the IC engine vehicle and range of the EVs due to
the auxiliary subsystems of the vehicle. Suspension system of a vehicle is designed to absorb the
vibrational energy and dissipate it in the form of thermal energy by the fluid inside shock absorbers.
This vibrational energy is to be converted into useful energy in the interest of increasing the overall
efficiency of the vehicle.
“DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT OF REGENERATIVE SUSPENSION SYSTEM”

4.2 Objectives

1. To conserve the vibrational energy which is being dissipated as heat.

2. Analyse the maximum voltage recovered while:
o Road irregularities
o Braking
o Vehicle hits a large bump

3. Design a mechanism to convert the vibrational energy into electrical energy.

4. Store the generated energy for auxiliary use.
5. To increase the range of the vehicle in case of an EV.

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5. METHODOLOGY

5.1 Methodology

• Research phase
• Design phase
• Procurement phase
• Manufacturing Phase
• Testing phase
• Validation

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6. REFERENCES

[1] Lv, Xueying, et al. “Research Review of a Vehicle Energy-Regenerative Suspension System.”

MDPI, 16 Jan. 2020, www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/13/2/441.

[2] Tiwari, Dr. Seema, et al. “Regenerative Shock Absorber: Research Review – IJERT.” Regenerative
Shock Absorber: Research Review – IJERT, 22 May 2020, www.ijert.org/regenerative-shock-
absorber-research-review.

[3] “Vibration Energy Harvesting in Automotive Suspension System: A Detailed Review.” Vibration
Energy Harvesting in Automotive Suspension System: A Detailed
ReviewScienceDirect,14Aug.2018,www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306261918311851.

[4] “Implementation of an Electromagnetic Regenerative Tuned Mass Damper in a Vehicle Suspension

System.” Implementation of an Electromagnetic Regenerative Tuned Mass Damper in a Vehicle Suspension
System | IEEE Journals & Magazine | IEEE Xplore, ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/9116929.

[5] “Regenerative Active Suspension System With Residual Energy for In-wheel Motor Driven
Electric Vehicle.” Regenerative Active Suspension System With Residual Energy for In-wheel Motor
Driven Electric Vehicle - ScienceDirect, 10 Dec. 2019,
www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306261919318677.

[6] “ZF And Levant Power Develop World’s First Fully Active, Regenerative Suspension
for Automobiles | Autocar Professional.” Autocar Professional, www.autocarpro.in/news-
national/zf-levant-power-develop-world-active-regenerative-suspension-automobiles-919.
111111111

[7] Saxena, Sachin. “BMW Filed a Patent for Regenerative Suspension That Charges.” Let’s E Move,
9 Dec. 2022, letsemove.com/bmw-filed-a-patent-for-regenerative-suspension-that-charges-an-
electric-vehicle-battery-from-bumps-on-road.

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