SUSPENSION SYSTEM

The automobile frame and body are mounted on the front and
rear axle not directly but through some form of springs and shock
absorbers. This is done to isolate the vehicle body from the road
shocks.
If the frame is mounted directly on the axle, the engine parts and
passengers will be affected by shock and vibration. Also it gives
uncomfortable ride and additional stress in the engine
components.
Therefore all the parts which perform the function of protection
are collectively called as SUSPENSION SYSTEM.
Suspension system consists of a spring and damper.
The energy of road shock causes the reasonable level by
damper which is called as shock absorber.
The suspension system of a motor vehicle is divided into front
end suspension and rear end suspension.
 Automotive Suspension…

• Automotive suspension designs have been a

compromise between the three conflicting
criteria of

– Vehicle control
– Load carrying
– Passenger comfort

4
• Comfort ride
– Soft springs are good for comfort ride but excessive tyre
moment

• Handling
– Increasing the stiffness of the spring leads to good handling
but the suspension feel harsh..
 Suspension basics
• If a road were perfectly flat, with no irregularities,
suspensions wouldn't be necessary.
• According to Newton's laws of motion, all forces
have both magnitude and direction
• A bump in the road causes the wheel to move up
and down perpendicular to the road surface
• The magnitude, of course, depends on whether the
wheel is striking a giant bump or a tiny speck. Either
way, the car wheel experiences a vertical
acceleration as it passes over an imperfection.
• under the downward force of gravity, the wheels
can slam back into the road surface
Objectives
•To provide good ride and handling performance –
–vertical compliance providing chassis isolation
–ensuring that the wheels follow the road profile
–very little tire load fluctuation
•To ensure that steering control is maintained during maneuvering –
–wheels to be maintained in the proper position wrt road surface
•To ensure that the vehicle responds favorably to control forces produced by
the tires during
–longitudinal braking
–accelerating forces,
–lateral cornering forces and
–braking and accelerating torques
–this requires the suspension geometry to be designed to resist squat, dive
and roll of the vehicle body
•To provide isolation from high frequency vibration from tire excitation
–requires appropriate isolation in the suspension joints
–Prevent transmission of ‘road noise’ to the vehicle body
Vehicle Axis system
•Un-sprung mass
•Right-hand orthogonal axis system fixed in a vehicle
•x-axis is substantially horizontal, points forward, and is in the
longitudinal plane of symmetry.
•y-axis points to driver's right and
•z-axis points downward.
•Rotations:
–A yaw rotation about z-axis.
–A pitch rotation about y-axis.
–A roll rotation about x-axis

SAE vehicle axes

Figure from Gillespie,1992

Basic Suspension Movements
• MAIN COMPONENTS OF A SUSPENSION
• KINDS OF SPRINGS
 LEAF SPRING & COIL SPRING

• DAMPER
• TYPES OF SUSPENSION
 INDEPENDENT SUSPENSION
 SEMI-INDEPENDENT SUSPENSION
 NON-INDEPENDENT SUSPENSION
TYPES OF SPRINGS

1. Leaf spring (semi-elliptical, quarter elliptical,

three quarter elliptical, transverse spring and
full elliptical spring)
2. Coil springs
3. Torsion bar
4. Rubber springs
5. Plastic springs
6. Air springs
7. Hydrostatic spring
 Basic Suspension System
The primary purpose of a suspension system is to support the
weight of the vehicle and give a smooth ride

It is desirable that it should also:

Allow rapid cornering without body roll when the car leans to one side.

Keep tires in firm contact with the road at all times and conditions.

Prevent body squat (tilting down at rear) when accelerating.

Prevent body dive (tilting down at front) when braking.

Allow front wheels to turn for steering.

Keep the wheels vertical and in correct alignment at all times

A.RAMMOHAN, TIFAC CORE @ VITU 14
FUNCTIONS OF SUSPENSION SYSTEM
1. To prevent the road shocks from being transmitted
to the vehicle frame.
2. To safeguard the occupants from road shocks
3. To give stability to the vehicle in case of rolling or
pitching while in motion
4. To provide the particular height to the body structure
and to bear the torque and braking reactions
5. To maintain proper steering geometry.
SUSPENSION SYSTEM
Rubber Springs

Compression shear Steel reinforced spring

Compression spring spring

Progressive spring Face shear spring Torsional shear spring

Prof.C.Kannan, SMEC, VIT University

Bellow type Strut type
•What it is?
•They are steel strips laid one over the other and
clamped together
•What it does?
•These are the mostly used where load carrying is
needed or where cost are to be low as their systems
are relatively cheaper
Semi-elliptic Leaf Spring

7
 SEMI-ELIPTICAL SPRING
When the vehicle comes across a projection on the road surface the wheels move
Up deflecting the spring. Hence the length between the spring eyes also changes.
This change is accommodated by means of shackle at one end.

Each strip is called as leaf or blade

 Leaf Spring

Flat plates of spring steel are

bolted together

The front end of the spring is

bolted directly to the frame

A swinging shackle at the

rear permits the length of
the spring to change when it
is flexed

U-bolts and plates clamp

spring to axle housing

This type used to be

common but is now only
used on a few rear Swinging shackle
suspension systems 25
QUARTER ELLPTICAL SPRING
This type of spring is half a semi-elliptic type spring.
It is a cantilever type spring which is pivoted at one end and other end is
shackled or pivoted to the axle.
The only difference is that shortest leaves are arranged at top.

Used in earlier vehicles

THREE QUARTER ELLIPTICAL SPRING

It is a combination of quarter elliptical spring and semi elliptical spring.

It was popular in olden days
Now it has been replaced by semi-elliptical spring.
TRANSVERSE SPRING
Arranged transversely across the vehicle instead of parallel to the frame.
The spring is bolted rigidly to the frame at its centre.
The ends of it are shackled to the axle.
Disadvantage: the vehicle tends to roll at the turns because the vehicle body is
attached to the spring at only two points
FULL ELLIPTICAL SPRING

It consists of two semi-elliptical springs which are jointed together oppositely.

Helper Springs
Materials for Leaf Springs
1. Chrome – Vanadium Steel
2. Silico – Manganese Steel
3. Carbon Steel

Tapered Leaf Springs

Advantages:

1. Light weight ( 60 % of conventional leaf spring)

2. No interleaf friction in case of single taper leaf spring
3. Absence of squeaking
4. Stresses are lower than conventional springs and hence more life
5. Occupies less space
6. No collection of moisture in case of single leaf spring and hence no
fretting corrosion
Latest Trend in Leaf Springs

Fibre composite leaf spring

1. 3 to 5 times lighter than conventional metallic leaf springs

2. Absence of squeaking
3. Fibre composite leaf springs are of mono-leaf design, there is no wear
due to friction on account of rubbing
4. No sagging with time, and hence less maintenance
5. No danger of sudden failure of springs due to laminated structure.
 Coil Springs

•What it is?
•Steel spring in shape of a coil
•What it does?
•Coil springs provide good ride quality and are used
in front & rear of most cars, but they are not ideal for
carrying heavy load
COIL SPRING
Fig shows the coil spring suspension in the front axle.
Coil springs are used mainly with independent suspension.
The energy stored per unit volume is almost double in the case of coil springs
than the leaf springs
Do not have noise problems
Takes the shear stress as well as bending stresses.
Cannot take torque reaction and side thrust for which alternative
arrangements have to be provided.
TORSION BAR

A torsion bar is a solid bar of steel which is connected to the car

chassis at one end, and free to move at the other end. They are
almost always mounted across the car, one for each side of the
suspension.

The springing motion is provided by the metal bar's

resistance to twisting. To over-simplify, stick your arm out straight
and get someone to twist your wrist. Presuming that your mate
doesn't snap your wrist, at a certain point, resistance in your arm
(and pain) will cause you to twist your wrist back the other way.
That is the principle of a torsion bar.

Torsion bars typically have splines on one end so that they

can be removed, twisted round one spline and re-inserted. This
can be used to raise or lower a car, or to compensate for the
natural 'sag' of a suspension system over time.
 Torsion Bar

One end of the torsion bar is

fixed to the vehicle frame When the control arm is moved by
the suspension, the twisting motion
The other end of the torsion of the torsion bar
bar is attached to the control resists the movement
arm so that it twists as the
control arm moves up or
down
A strut rod prevents front or
rear movements of the
control arm
Torsion bar Vehicle frame

Control arm
Steering knuckle connects
Strut rod onto control arm

36
Independent Suspension

It is a term used to describe any arrangement, by which the wheels are

connected to the carriage unit in a manner such that the rise and fall of one
wheel has no effect on the others. Almost all the passengers cars now use
the independent front suspension, in which the coil spring arrangement is
the most common.
Drawback of rigid axle suspension

When a vehicle with rigid axle suspension encounters road

irregularities, the axle tilts and the wheels no longer remain vertical. This
causes the whole of the vehicle to tilt to one side. Such a state of affair is not
desirable. Besides causing rough ride, it also causes wheel wobble. The road
adhesion is also decreased. In order to avoid this, the wheels are sprung
independent of each other, so that tilting of one does not affect the other.
•Left and right wheels are connected together with the a solid
link between them. Motion of a wheel on one side of the
vehicle is dependent on the motion of its partner on the other
side
•Rarely used in modern passenger cars
•Have better load capability
•Can not give good ride
•Can not control high braking and accelerating torques
•Used in commercial and off-highway vehicles
•. Example – Leaf spring suspension
 Solid Axle Suspension

Coil spring suspension Leaf spring suspension

Hotchkiss Drive
•Axle is mounted on longitudinal leaf springs, which are compliant
vertically and stiff horizontally
•The springs are pin-connected to the chassis at one end and to a
pivoted link at the other.
•This enables the change of length of the spring to be
accommodated due to loading
 Solid Rear Axle Suspension

This type of rear

suspension is typical for a Shock absorber
rear-wheel drive vehicle

Coil
The axle is inside a solid
springs
housing

The shock
absorbers are
Axle housing
mounted between the Stabilizer bar
solid axle and the frame
The springs are arranged
between the
axle housing and the Trailing arm
frame of the vehicle
A stabilizer bar and track bar are
Trailing arms, or links,
included to add vehicle stability
hold the rear axle in
position 45
FRONT END SUSPENSION

The main disadvantage of this system is that road shock on one wheel is
transmitted into other wheel. Hence there is a chance of rolling.
 Independent Suspension

A solid axle tilts with road bumps

Solid axle

This causes both wheels to be tilted

Independent suspension allows one

wheel to move up or down without
appreciably affecting
the other
The design of the control arm keeps
the wheel upright Independent suspension

This is the preferred system for most

modern vehicles.

47
•Motion of wheel pairs is independent, so that a disturbance at
one wheel is not directly transmitted to its partner
•Better ride and handling
•The left and right wheels are not connected together by a solid
link & can move independently of each other.
•Offers better ride and handling
•Example – Mcpherson Strut suspension
2.INDEPENDENT FRONT SUSPENSION SYSTEM
MERITS OF INDEPENDENT FRONT SUSPENSION SYSTEM
TYPES OF FRONT INDEPENDENT
SUSPENSION SYSTEM

1. Macpherson strut type

2. Parallel link type (or) wish bone type
3. Trailing link type
4. Semi Trailing arm
5. Swinging suspension
6. Multi link
 MacPherson Strut Sock Absorber
This is a combined coil
spring and shock absorber
assembly
The upper pivot is the strut
mounting to the frame

A ball bearing mounting at the top allows

steering movements
Bump stops or rebound
bumpers prevent metal-to-
metal contact

The shock absorber is inside the strut

The lower spring seat is part of the

shock absorber body
Metal strut tube houses shock absorber
reservoir, valve, pressure tube etc 52
Macpherson Strut type – Contd..
It provides with a compact suspension arrangement
Used for both the front as well as rear suspension
It consists of two arms at the lower side with a spring combined with a damper above it.
The upper end is connected to the body shell while the lower is connected to chassis
frame.  Lower unsprung weight
 Camber does change with
up & down movement of wheel
 Maximum room in engine
compartment.
 Suitable for FF layout.
McPherson Strut
WISH BONE TYPE
• It is a further development of the MacPherson strut
design.
• It consists of two arms known as upper and lower arm.
• The spring-damper arrangement is provided either
between the two arms or above the upper arm.
• In the first case, the lower arm takes up the entire load of
the vehicle.
• In the second case it is the upper arm which takes the
entire load transferred by the spring.
• The second configuration is not commonly used, as its
space requirement is more.
Double Wishbone
 MULTI-LINK SUSPENSION

• It consists of multiple link

arms(up to five) instead of
two in the double
wishbone suspension.
• Each link at the end is
provided with a ball-joint
connection so that there
is no bending moment.
• Used in Audi A4, A8 and
Mercedes.
 Trailing Arm

Semi Trailing
SWINGING SUSPENSION
 REAR END SUSPENSION
The rear end suspension is so designed as to carry most of the extra load of
the passengers and luggage.

LONGITUDINAL LEAF SPRING SUSPENSION

TRANSVERSE LEAF SPRING – REAR SUSPENSION
HELPER SPRING – REAR SUSPENSION
AIR SUSPENSION
Air Suspension
 Torsion bar

•What it is?
•Torsion beam is a component of a semi-independent
suspension which acts as the damping element as
well as the frame of the suspension
 Trailing twist axle suspension

•Rigid connection is replaced by a compliant link. Beam can bend and

flex for both positional control and compliance.
•Tend to be simple in construction but lack scope for design flexibility
•Additional compliance can be provided by rubber or hydro-elastic
springs.
•Have good load carrying capability good ride and handling too
•Wheel camber is, in this case, the same as body roll
•Example - Torsion beam suspension
 Stabilizer (Sway) Bar
The purpose of the stabilizer
bar is to prevent excessive
body leaning when turning

Links both the lower control

arms together

When one end of the bar is

deflected in either direction
(up or down), the bar tries
to pull the other side in the
same direction, this has the
effect of stabilizing and
controlling the suspension

When cornering, the outside Stabilizer bar

of the body tends to drop,
which twists the bar and
limits the amount of the
sway 71
As the body of the vehicle leans, the stabilizer bar is twisted. The
force exerted by the stabilizer bar counteracts the body lean.
Anti Roll Bars
They combat the roll of a car on it's suspension as it corners. They're
also known as sway-bars or anti-sway-bars.
Almost all cars have them fitted as standard, From the factory they are
biased towards ride comfort. Stiffer aftermarket items will increase the road-
holding but you'll get reduced comfort because of it. It's a catch-22 situation.
Fiddling with your roll stiffness distribution can make a car uncomfortable to ride
in and extremely hard to handle if you get it wrong.
The anti-roll bar is usually connected to the front, lower edge of the
bottom suspension joint. It passes through two pivot points under the chassis,
usually on the sub-frame and is attached to the same point on the opposite
suspension setup. Effectively, it joins the bottom of the suspension parts
together. When you head into a corner, the car begins to roll out of the corner.
For example, if you're cornering to the left, the car body rolls to the
right. In doing this, it's compressing the suspension on the right hand side. With
a good anti-roll bar, as the lower part of the suspension moves upward relative
to the car chassis, it transfers some of that movement to the same component
on the other side. In effect, it tries to lift the left suspension component by the
same amount. Because this isn't physically possible, the left suspension
effectively becomes a fixed point and the anti-roll bar twists along its length
because the other end is effectively anchored in place. It's this twisting that
provides the resistance to the suspension movement.
 (SHOCK ABSORBER)

(a) Movement of the vehicle is supported by springs without a dampening

device. (b) Spring action is dampened with a shock absorber. (c) The function
of any shock absorber is to dampen the movement or action of a spring, similar
to using a liquid to control the movement of a weight on a spring (d).
•What it is?
•The function of a damper is to dampen the
vibration/bouncing of the spring, as without it the
spring would go on bouncing
•What it does?
•They are long black tubular devices filled with oil,
gas or a combination of both. This provides the
resistance to the springs motion
 Shock Absorber
The function of a shock absorber is
to reduce spring oscillations (up Top mount
and down movements) following a
road shock
The upper end (top mount) is
attached to the frame and the
lower end (bottom mount) to the Dust
suspension unit cover

A piston and valve assembly moves

in an oil-filled cylinder. Movement Oil cylinder
is controlled by the valve, rate-of-
Piston and
flow, restriction valve
assembly
A pressurized gas chamber is
sometimes added to prevent air
bubbles in the oil causing foaming Pressurized
Bottom
The cylinder is enclosed in a dust gas chamber
mount
cover
Importance of Damper
When the road wheels come across a pot- hole or a bump the springs
of the suspension system elongate or compress there by storing strain
energy. A little later, this stored energy is released and results in an
oscillating motion. A damper is used to dampen or dissipate the energy
stored in the spring

Purpose of Damper:
1. To dampen the vibrations and prevent them from being
transmitted to the chassis frame
2. To resist the rebound force which might cause pitching of the
vehicle.
3. Provide comfort ride
4. Prevent damaging of chassis frame and other parts
5. Prevent excessive tyre wear.

Types:
1. Dry friction type dampers
2. Hydraulic type dampers
Latest Developments in Damper Technology
• Modern shock absorbers are velocity sensitive
• To prevent aeration, gas charged shock absorbers are used.
o Low pressure type (2.5 - 5 bar)
o High pressure type (25 – 30 bar)
• Shock absorber ratio
Spring Vs Damper
There are two physical operation involved - springing and damping. You need
both. Most cars use steel springs for the springing and fluid-filled dampers (also
known as shock absorbers, but that's a misnomer as its actually the springs that
absorb the shocks) for the damping.

The springs support the weight of the car, but allow movement under load in
order to smooth the ride. The force they require to compress is proportional to
the distance they are compressed- so to move 2cm takes twice the force as to
move 1cm. However, because of conservation of energy, if they were not
damped the suspension would continue to bounce after a bump, which could
allow the wheel to temporarily lose contact with the road, reducing grip.

The dampers reduce this bouncing. The force required to compress (or expand)
a damper is proportional to the speed at which it is compressed (or expanded),
not the distance.

Matching spring and damper rates to the car and to each other is one of the
more difficult tasks in car development.
a spring returns a force for a given displacement.
Fs=kx

Fs= Force of Spring

k= spring constant
x= displacement

a dampener returns a force for a given velocity.

Fd=cv

Fd=Force of Dampener
c= dampening constant
v= velocity
 Electronic Height Control

The microcontroller program can be modified for any of the following:

 Use air shock absorbers to control the vehicle height.

 Automatically control the height for changes of loading.

 Increase shock absorber stiffness to improve cornering response.

 Adjust shock absorber stiffness for a softer ride on rough roads.

 Compensate for body roll, squat or dive.

 Modify suspension response for different speeds or acceleration.

88
 Active Suspension System
This uses hydraulic cylinders in place of the springs
ECU
A hydraulic pump supplies the
cylinders with pressure Pressure
sensor
Pressure sensors send signals to Hydraulic Sensor
an electronic control unit (ECU). Outlet pump s
valve
When a wheel goes down, the
inlet valve is opened to increase
pressure in the cylinder

When a wheel moves up, the Inlet Fluid

outlet valve is opened to reduce valve Reservoir
pressure
Hydrauli
c
The system response is very fast
cylinder
A back-up pressure
reservoir/accumulator is 89
normally incorporated
Current Research

• MR fluids – Ferrari, Audi (TT and R8)

• CES (continuously controlled electronic suspension) – Volvo, Mercedes

Benz, Ford & Audi

• CDC(Continuous Damping Control) – Audi, Porsche, Bentley and BMW

• ABC (Active Body Control) Mercedes

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Df2mM5jP1W0