SUSPENSION SYSTEM

What is Suspension System??

• The purpose of the suspension system is to isolate the vehicle
body from road bumps and vibrations, while keeping the
wheels in contact with the road.
• A basic suspension system consists of springs, axles, shock
absorbers, arms, rods, and ball joints.
 Basic Properties
• Weight Transfer
• Jacking Forces
• Camber
• Caster Angle
• Spring Rate
• Travel
• Ball Joint
• Steering Knuckles
• Weight Transfer - Weight transfer during cornering,
acceleration or braking is usually calculated per
individual wheel and compared with the static
weights for the same wheels.

Weight transfer has significant impact on

traction. Unfortunately, the net sum of the traction of the
four tires does not stay equal. What is lost from the
unloaded tires is not entirely transferred to the loaded
tires. Overall there is a loss in traction.
• Jacking Forces - Jacking forces are the sum of the
vertical force components experienced by the
suspension links. The resultant force acts to lift the
sprung mass if the roll center is above ground, or
compress it if underground. Generally, the higher the
roll center, the more jacking force is experienced.
 Roll Centre - Imaginary Point on centre line, about
which the sprung body tends to roll when subjected to
side forces, as when cornering. Its position relative to
the road depends on the suspension system’s design and
geometry, the vehicle’s Centre of Mass and other forces.
• Camber - It is the angle between the axis of the
wheels and the vertical axis when viewed from the
front or rear. It is used in the design of steering and
suspension.
• Caster Angle - It is the angle between the Vertical
axis and the King Pin axis.
• Spring Rate - The spring rate (or suspension rate) is a
component in setting the vehicle's ride height or its
location in the suspension stroke. When a spring is
compressed or stretched, the force it exerts is
proportional to its change in length. The spring rate or
spring constant of a spring is the change in the force it
exerts, divided by the change in deflection of the
spring.
• Travel - It is the measure of distance from the bottom
of the suspension stroke (such as when the vehicle is
on a jack and the wheel hangs freely) to the top of the
suspension stroke (such as when the vehicle's wheel
can no longer travel in an upward direction toward
the vehicle).
• Ball Joint - ball joints are spherical
bearings that connect the control arms to
the steering knuckles. They are used on
virtually every automobile made and work
similar to the ball and socket design of the
human hip joint.

• Steering Knuckles - The steering wheel is

connected to the suspension and wheels
via the steering knuckles. The knuckle
connects the steering wheel to the rest of
the car, allowing the driver to direct the
vehicle.
• Control Arm - Control arm is a hinged suspension
link between the chassis and the suspension upright
or hub that carries the wheel.
 Types of Suspensions
• Dependent Suspension - It is a type of suspension in
which left and right suspension are linked together
and disturbance on one side is transferred to other
side.

• Independent Suspension - It is a type of suspension in

which left and right suspension are not linked
together and disturbance on one side is not
transferred to other side.
• Front Independent Suspension - In this setup, the
front wheels are allowed to move independently.
Disturbance of one wheel is not transferred to other
wheel.

• MacPherson strut - The MacPherson strut combines

a shock absorber and a coil spring into a single unit.
This provides a more compact and lighter suspension
system that can be used for front-wheel drive
vehicles.
• Dependent Rear Suspension - If a solid­axle connects the
rear wheels of a car, then the suspension is usually quite
simple, based either on a leaf spring or a coil spring.

Case1. The leaf springs clamp d­irectly to the drive axle.

The ends of the leaf springs attach directly to the frame, and
the shock absorber is attached at the clamp that holds the
spring to the axle.

Case2. The spring and shock absorber can be mounted as a

single unit or as separate components. When they're
separate, the springs can be much smaller, which reduces
the amount of space the suspension takes up.
• Torsion bar suspension - It is a method of utilizing the
flexibility of a steel bar or tube twisting lengthwise to
provide spring action. Instead of the flexing action of
a leaf spring, the torsion bar twists to exert resistance
against up and down movement.