Suspension System

Introduction - The automobile chassis is mounted on the axles, not direct but through some form of springs.
This is done to isolate the vehicle body from the road shocks which may be in the form of bounce, pitch, roll or
sway. These tendencies give rise to an uncomfortable ride and also cause additional stress in the automobile
frame and body. All the parts which perform the function of isolating the automobile from the road shocks are
collectively called a suspension system. It includes the springing device used and various mountings for the
same. Broadly speaking, suspension system consists of a spring and a damper. The energy of road shock causes
the spring to oscillate. These oscillations are restricted to a reasonable level by the damper, which is more
commonly called a shock absorber.
Functions of suspension system
1. It prevents the vehicle body and frame from road shocks.
2. It safeguards the passengers and goods from road shocks.
3. It gives cushioning effect.
4. It provides comfort.
5. Support the weight of the frame, body, engine, transmission, drive train, passengers, and cargo.
6. Provide a smooth, comfortable ride by allowing the wheels and tyres to move up and down with
minimum movement of the vehicle.
7. Work with the steering system to help keep the wheels in correct alignment.
8. Keep the tyres in firm contact with the road, even after striking bumps or holes in the road.
9. Allow rapid cornering without extreme body rolls (vehicle leans to one side).
10. Allow the front wheels to turn from side to side for steering.
11. Prevent excessive body squat (body tilts down in rear) when accelerating or carrying heavy loads.
12. Prevent excessive body dive (body tilts down in the front) when braking.
Requirements of suspension system
1. There should be minimum deflection.
2. It should be of low initial cost.
3. It should be of minimum weight.
4. It should have low maintenance and low operating cost.
5. It should have minimum tyre wear.
Basic considerations
1. Vertical Loading - When the road wheel comes across a bump or pit on the road, it is subjected to vertical
forces, tensile or compressive depending upon the nature of the road irregularity. These are absorbed by the
elastic compression Shear bending or twisting of the spring. The mode of spring resistance depends upon the
type and material of the spring used. Further when the front wheel strikes a bump it starts vibrating, These

vibrations die down exponentially due to damping present in the system. The Rear wheel however, reaches the
same bump after certain time depending on the wheel base and the speed of the vehicle. Of course, when the
rear wheel reaches the bump, it experiences similar vibrations as experienced by the front wheel sometime ago.
It is seen that to reduce pitching tendency of the vehicle, the frequency of the front springing system should be
less than that of the rear springing system From human comfort point also it is seen that it is desirable to have
low vibration frequencies. The results of the studies on human beings have shown that the maximum amplitude
which may be allowed for a certain level of discomfort decreases with the increase of vibration frequency.
2. Rolling - The centre of gravity of the vehicles is considerably above the ground. Due to this reason, while
taking the turns, the centrifugal force acts outwards on the C.G. of vehicle, while the road resistance acts
inward, at the wheels. This gives rise to a couple turning the vehicle about a longitudinal axis. This is called
rolling. The manner in which the vehicle is sprung determines the axis about which the vehicle will roll. The
tendency to roll is checked by means of a stabilizer.
3. Brake Dip - On braking, the noise of the vehicle has a tendency to be lowered or to dip. This depends upon
the position of centre of gravity relative to the ground, the wheelbase, and other suspension characteristics. On
weight transfer is the same way; torque loads during acceleration tend the front of the vehicle to be lifted. These
forces on account of braking and driving are carried directly by Deflecting the springs, by wishbone arms or by
radius rods.
4. Side Thrust - Centrifugal force during cornering, cross-winds, cambering of the road etc., cause a side-thrust
to be applied to the vehicle. Such forces absorbed by the rigidity of the leaf springs or by fitting Pan hard rods.
5. Unsprung Weight - Unsprung weight is the weight of vehicle components between the suspension and the
road surface. This includes rear axle assembly, steering knuckle, front axle in case of rear drive rigid axle
suspension, wheels, tyres and brakes. The sprung weight, i.e., the weight supported by the vehicle suspension
system, includes the frame, body, engine and the entire transmission system. When the wheels strike against a
bump, they vibrate along with other unsprung parts which store the energy of the vibrations and then further
transmit it to the sprung parts via the springs. Thus it is seen that greater the weight of the unsprung parts,
greater will be the energy stored due to vibrations and consequently greater shocks.
6. Miscellaneous - When a small shock results in the large movements of the wheel, the suspension is said to be
soft. Such a soft suspension is more comfortable to the occupants. However, excessively soft suspension
wil1result in the loss of contact between the road and the wheel due to which the driving and the braking efforts
are decreased. Thus a good suspension system should be an optimum compromise between softness and
hardness.
Elements of a Suspension system - Figure shows the schematic form of a suspension system. The sprung
weight is the weight of passenger carriage whereas the unsprung weight is the weight of the wheel-axle system.
The important elements of a suspension system are - 1. Springs. 2. Dampers (or shock absorbers).

The springs provide spring effect to a large extent; the tyre, however, provides the spring effect to a smaller
extent.

The dampers (or shock absorbers) provide the damping effect to a large extent. However in case of leaf springs,
the friction between the leaves in motion, does generate some damping effect. Dampers perform the following
two functions:
(i) They reduce the tendency of the carriage unit to continue to "bounce" up and down on its springs after the
disturbance that caused the linear motion has ceased.
(ii) They prevent excessive built up of amplitude of bounce as a result of periodic excitation at a frequency
identical to the natural frequency of vibration of the spring mass system.
Besides a simple bounce or vibration of the carriage unit as a whole, following two more types of vibration also
exist:
(i) Rolling

(ii) Pitching.

In "rolling", the carriage unit rolls about the longitudinal axis of the vehicle while in "pitching", the carriage
unit rolls about a transverse axis.
In rolling one side of the car goes down and the rear goes up and vice versa. The tendency to roll is checked by
a stabilizer.
Pitching is a more complex phenomenon and is affected by what is known as "vibration coupling effect" i.e.,
interaction between front and rear suspension. Since the pitching persists for a longer duration if the rear
suspension has a lower natural frequency than the front suspension, therefore, the natural frequency of the rear
suspension is normally made higher than that of the front.
The pitching, in general, depends upon the following factors.
(i) The frequency of disturbances;
(ii) Bumps over which the car rolls;
(iii) Spacing of bumps;
(iv) Speed of the vehicle;
(u) Mass moment of inertia of the vehicle about the axis of pitch and its wheel base. A combination of roll and
pitch is called diagonal pitch.
In order to control the above mentioned- suspension movements, antisway bars, stabilizers, pitch and roll
control bars, mechanical levelling devices, hydroelastic systems etc. are employed.

Suspension Types
Dependent suspension - This suspension has a rigid axle that connects the wheels. Basically, this looks like a
solid bar under the vehicle, kept in place by leaf springs and shock absorbers. Motion of a wheel on one side of
the vehicle is dependent on the motion of its partner on the other side.
Advantages

The solid axle types have very high strength and can take large forces experienced by the suspension in
harsh conditions like off-road vehicles.

They also allow for more suspension travel which is needed for rough terrains.

Rarely used in modern passenger cars.

Used in commercial and off-highway vehicles.

Disadvantages

Shimmy - As the wheels are physically linked, the beam can be set into oscillation if one wheel hits a
bump and the other doesn't. It sets up a gyroscopic torque about the steering axis which starts to turn the
axle left-to-right. Because of the axle's inertia, this in turn feeds back to amplify the original motion.

Unsprung weight - Solid front axles weigh a lot and either need sturdy, heavy leaf springs or heavy
suspension linkages to keep their wheels on the road.

Alignment There are no means to adjust the alignment of wheels on a rigid axis. From the factory,
they're perfectly set, but if the beam gets even slightly distorted, you can't adjust the wheels to
compensate.

Can not give good ride.

Can not control high braking and accelerating torques.

Semi-dependent Suspension - In a semi-independent suspensions, the wheels of an axle are able to move
relative to one another as in an independent suspension but the position of one wheel has an effect on the
position and attitude of the other wheel. The difference from dependent system is that the rigid connection
between pairs of wheels is replaced by a compliant link, beam which can bend and flex providing both
positional control of the wheels as well as compliance. Additional compliance can be provided by rubber or
hydroelastic springs. The most common type of semi-dependent suspension is the Twist Beam type suspension.
Advantages

Tend to be simple in construction but lack scope for design flexibility.

Low cost.

Can be durable.

Fairly light weight.

Springs and shocks can be light and cheap.

No need for a separate sway bar the axle itself performs that function.

Disadvantages

Toe changes lead to oversteer or understeer as the tyre moves in and out while twisting.

Since toe characteristics may be unsuitable, adding toe-control bushings may be expensive.

Camber characteristics are very limited. Wheel camber is, in this case, the same as body roll.

Not very easy to adjust roll stiffness.

Wheel moves forward as it rises, can also be poor for impact harshness.

Need to package room for exhaust and so on past the cross beam.

Independent Suspension - Each wheel are allowed to move independently and has its own suspension
linkages, springs and dampers. Because the wheels are not constrained to remain perpendicular to a flat road
surface in turning, braking and varying load conditions, control of the wheel camber is an important issue.
Swinging arm was common in small cars that were sprung softly and could carry large loads, because the
camber is independent of load. Some active and semi-active suspensions maintain the ride height, and therefore
the camber, independent of load. In sports cars, optimal camber change when turning is more important.
Advantages

In this the bump only affects the contacted wheel thus isolating disturbances. Lower unsprung mass.
Hence better handling qualities.

Higher Adjustability of parameters like camber castor and toe.

Better ride and handling.

Better traction as compared to dependent suspension where as one tyre hits a bump, shimmy occurs
which reduces effective traction of the tyres.

More stable.

This is most widely used in front suspension system.

This provides a more compact and lighter suspension system.

Disadvantages

Complex in design.

Much more expensive.

Springs - The car body or frame supports the weight of the engine, the power train, and the passengers. The
body or frame is supported by the springs. There is a spring at each wheel. The weight of the car frame, body

and attached parts applies an initial compression to the springs. The springs compress further as the car wheels
hit bumps or expand as the wheels drop into the holes in the road. The springs cannot do the complete job of
absorbing road shocks. The tyres absorb some of the irregularities in the road. The springs in the car seats also
help to absorb shock. However, little shock from road bumps and holes is felt by the passengers.
Springs are resilient members and as such act as reservoirs of energy. They store the energy due to the sudden
force which comes when vehicle encounters a bump or a ditch. This energy is released subsequently and with
the action of dampers, the energy is converted into heat and bounce is avoided.
Springs used for suspension system should absorb road shocks quickly and return to the original position
slowly. Now let us examine this, a soft spring will oscillate too much i.e., it will go up and down many times
making a vehicle move along with it, while a stiff spring will not oscillate too much and will give a rough ride.
As such a compromise is made by using a soft spring with a shock absorber to control its up and down
movement as well as to absorb the road shocks.
Types of Springs - The various types of automotive springs are
1. Leaf (or laminated) springs"
(i) Full elliptic-Two semi-elliptic springs connected to form the shape of ellipse.
(ii) Three quarter elliptic-One semi-elliptic spring connected over a quarter elliptic springs.
(iii) Semi-elliptic-Forming the shape of half ellipse.
(iv) Quarter elliptic-Half of semi-elliptic spring.
(v) Transverse-Semi-elliptic type spring has the saddle above forming a bow and is fitted parallel to the wheel
axle.
2. Coil springs.
3. Torsion bars.
4. Air and gas springs.
5. Rubber springs.
Leaf springs

A laminated semi-elliptic spring. The top leaf is known as the master leaf. The eye is provided for attaching the
spring with another machine member. The amount of bend that is given to the spring from the central line,
passing through the eyes, is known as camber. The camber is provided so that even at the maximum load the
deflected spring should not touch the machine member to which it is attached. The central clamp is required to
hold the leaves of the spring. However, the bolt holes required to engage the bolts to clamp the leaves weaken
the spring to some extent. Rebound clips help to share the load from the master leaf to the graduated leaf.

Uses - Semi-elliptical leaf springs are almost universally used for suspension in light and heavy commercial
vehicles. For cars, also, these are widely used for rear suspension.
Helper springs - are provided on many commercial vehicles in addition to the main leaf springs. A helper
spring is just like a semi-elliptical spring but without eyes at the ends. Its ends touch the brackets fitted on the
frame when the truck is heavily loaded. These springs allow for a wide range of loading. When the vehicle is
only lightly loaded, these helper springs do not come into operation. But as the load is increased they take their
share of load. Generally helper springs are used on rear suspension only.
Coil springs - It is made from a special spring steel wire. This spring is generally circular in cross-section and
of suitable diameter to have the desired stiffness. The wire is wound in the shaft of coil. The spring is formed at
high temperature, cooled and proper heat treatment is given to it in order to have the characteristics of elasticity.
When the wheel of the automobile experiences bump on the road side, the spring compresses to absorb the
shock energy.
Advantages of Coil Springs

Coil springs are better than leaf springs as they can absorb almost double energy per unit volume as
compared to leaf springs.

They also require less space than leaf springs and can be used in very restricted spaces.

Coil springs are lighter in weight for the same load.

Compact in size.

They neither have noise problems, nor do they have static friction causing harshness of ride as in case of
leaf springs.

Since there is no friction damping effect as in leaf spring, they are more lively in action. As such good
and powerful shock absorbers are required with coil springs.

The coil springs are used mainly with independent suspension, though they have also been used in the
conventional rigid axle suspension as they can be well accommodated in restricted spaces. The springs take the
shear as well as bending stresses. The coil springs, however, cannot take torque reaction and side thrust, for
which alternative arrangements have to be provided. The life of coil springs is increased by shot peening their
surfaces to induce compressive stresses in them and to reduce the effect of scratches in initiating fatigue cracks.
Immediately after shot peening, such springs may be given an anticorrosion treatment again to increase their
fatigue life.
Torsion bar - The torsion bar is a rod of either solid circular or a hollow tube section, which can take torsional
and shear stresses. Torsion bar acts as spring and keeps the lower and upper control arm parallel. One end of the
rod is made of hexagonal x-section which fits into lower control arm. Other end is also hexagonal x-section
which fits into an anchor attached to an anchor. When any force acts on the wheel assembly, the torsion bar gets
twisted. The wheel axle is supported by lower control arm. The torsion bar is connected to lower control arm.

The torsion bar is used to keep the lower arm at a given height. This suspension (torsional bar) provides cushion
to road shocks by allowing the lower arm to twist the torsion bar. The torsion bar occupies normal condition
when the wheels are not under any stress. When the wheels move up and down the torsion bar is twisted and it
absorbs the vibrations so generated.

It has the following advantages and disadvantages.

i)

Construction is light in weight

ii)

It occupies less space.

iii)

It does not take braking (or driving) thrust.

iv)

Additional linkages are needed to take braking thrust.

v)

Damping capability is poor due to absence of internal friction of the system.

vi)

The vibrations die-down slowly.

A torsion bar may be used in conjunction with leaf springs, with coil spring, or may be used alone. It has been
used with leaf springs on Chrysler cars, on Santro with coil spring and alone on Volkswagen cars. It is also
widely employed on buses, trailers and other HCVs.
Rubber springs - Rubber is an efficient damping material. Its damping capability is many times more than the
steel. Therefore, rubber is extensively used in suspension systems of almost all the vehicles. Besides being used as
bushings, washers etc. its main use is made as spring.

Rubber spring possesses the following advantages over the steel springs as listed below.

1. Their vibration damping characteristics are excellent

2. They absorb greater shock energy per unit volume; therefore they are compact and smaller in size.
3. Their density is 1000-1150 kg/m3 as compared to 7250-7750 kg/m 3 for steel and iron. Hence they weigh
less and are much lighter in weight.
4. They operate quietly, and the squeaking is absent from them.
5. Due to the materials behavior, they are not susceptible to instantaneous failure. Hence they are more
reliable and have longer life.
Merits and demerits of different types of springs used in an automobile
Sl. No.
1.

Description
Nature of load sustained

Leaf spring

Helically coiled

Mainly bending

spring
Mainly
compressive
Shear

2.

Nature of stresses

Tensile and

3.
4.

developed
Springs rate
Effect of increasing load

compressive
Constant
Almost constant

5.

on springing behavior
Behavior under light load

Constant
Almost constant

Torsion bar

Rubber

Mainly torsional

spring
Compression,

Shear

torsional
Compressive

Constant
Almost constant

and Shear
Variable
Springing

Soft suspension

effect stiffens
Soft

Hard suspension

Soft

High

suspension
High

6.

Strain energy absorbed

Low

Suspension
High

7.
8.

per unit volume

Noise produced
Static friction (Damping

A bit high
High

Nil
Nil

Low
Nil

Nil
Very High

9.

ability)
Ability to sustain side

A little

Nil

High

High

10.

thrust and torque reaction

Mainly part of

Rigid axle

Independent

Independent

Its own

Mainly used on

suspension

suspension

suspension

system
independently

11.
12.
13.
14.

May be used on
Space occupied
Weight
Ability to resist driving
and braking thrust.

Rear
Front More
Heavy
Good

Front
Rear Less
Light
Less

Front
Rear Less

Rear
Front

Light
Nil

Much less
Much less
Very good

Air Suspension - The four air springs, which may be either the bellows type or the piston type. They are
mounted on the same position where generally the coil springs are mounted. An air compressor takes the
atmospheric air through a filter and compresses it to a pressure of about 240 MPa, at which pressure the air in
the accumulator tank is maintained, which is also provided with a safety relief valve. This high pressure air goes
through the lift control valve and the levelling valves, to the air springs as shown. The lift control valve is
operated manually by means of a handle on the control panel, .through a cable running from the valve to the
handle.

Advantages
1. A variable space for wheel deflection is put to optimum use by virtue of the automatic control devices.
2.

Because the vehicle attitude is also constant, changes in headlamp alignment due to varying loads are
avoided.

3. The spring rate varies much less between the laden and unladen conditions, as compared with that of
conventional steel springs. This reduces the dynamic .loading.
4. The improved standard of ride comfort and noise reduction attained with air springs reduces both driver
and passenger fatigue.
Wish bone type front suspension - It consists of the following main parts.
-

Smaller upper wishbone and longer wish bone

Connecting arm to connect upper and lower wishbones with the help of the king pin.

Coiled spring enclosing a shock absorber.

Frame cross-member on which are pivoted the upper and lower wishbones.

The spring and shock absorber are supported between the lower wish bone and underside of the frame. During
motion when the wheel encounters the bump, the weight of the vehicle is transferred to the coil spring through
the connecting arm, upper wishbone and the cross-arm. This is then transmitted to lower wishbone which
pushes up the shock absorber. Consequently, it damps-down the vibrations.
U
D

L
S - SPRING D - DAMPER
U - UPPER WISHBONE
L - LOWER WISHBONE

Advantages

The wishbone arms are shaped in a specialized V-profile. It is done so as to keep the wheels in correct
positions, to resist forces due to acceleration, Braking and cornering.

It has un-equal lower and upper arms. The upper arm is made shorter in length than the lower arm. It is
done so as to maintain a non varying wheel track and to minimize tyre scrubbing and its wear.

Disadvantage

The reoriented configuration of the linkage as shown in figure and the camber angle of the wheel are
changed a little.

MacPherson Strut Type Front Suspension - The up and down movement of wheels resulting into a change in
the wheel camber is a big drawback of wishbone type suspension. Moreover, double wishbone arms make this
system a heavier one.

These shortcomings have been eliminated in the MacPherson strut type IFS. Its

simplified in construction.
It consists of a lower wishbone only whereas the upper wishbone has been replaced by a strut (a member under
compression). On one end the lower wishbone is hinged to the cross-member of vehicles frame while the other
end is fastened to a channel shaped connector. This connector is centrally attached to the stub axle and also to
the strut on its upper side. The strut ends are so shaped that they hold on the shock absorber and the coiled
spring enclosing it.

Advantages
a. Since the space occupied by this arrangement is less (in the front), it is more favored suspension system
on the front wheel driven vehicles.
b. It also allows more space for the engine.
c. The road safety and riding comforts are also increased as acceleration; braking and cornering forces are
minimized due to better wheel alignment (non-changing camber).
d. The unsprung weights are also reduced due to a lighter construction.
e. tending towards understeering is possible;
Vertical Slide Type Front Suspension - When the wheels rise-up and fall-down on the road surface, the
distance between wheels should not vary i.e. a constant wheel track must be maintained. If it is not so, a
scuffing action occurs that results in quicker wear of tyres. Although it is almost impossible to eliminate the
side-scrub entirely but the wishbone system nearly does so. However, perfection in this regard may be
obtained by employing a vertical slide arrangement.

The up and down motions of the road wheel due to a bump causes up and down sliding of the swivel block
which either compresses the main spring or stretches it. The rebound spring is used to exert rebounding
pressure. The main spring encloses the shock absorber, and is connected to an arrangement of upper, lower and
diagonal rods/arms. These rods are attached on the frame of the vehicle (not shown in figure)
Telescopic type Shock Absorber
Function of Shock Absorbers - Is to dampen the vibrations of coil and leaf springs used in the suspension
system. These vibrations are generated when vehicle passes over a road bump.
The rod G is attached to the two way valve A, while another similar two-way valve B is attached at the lower
end of cylinder C. There is a fluid in the space below valve assembly A, below A and also in the annular space
between cylinder C and tube D, which is connected to the space below the valve assembly B as shown. H is
gland in the head J and any fluid scrapped off by rod G is brought down into the annular space through the

inclined passage shown in the head. The eye E is connected to the axle, while the eye F is attached to the
chassis frame. The fluid generally used in shock absorbers is a mixture of 60 percent transformer oil and 40 per
cent turbine oil.
To understand the action of the shock absorber, consider that the car has come across a bump. Then eye E would
move up and thereby the fluid will pass from the lower side of valve assembly A to its upper side. But since the
volume of the space above A is less by the volume of the rod G, the fluid will also exert its pressure on valve
assembly B and go to the underside of valve B. This passing of the fluid through valve openings provides the
damping. Similarly for downward motion of the eye E, the fluid will pass from the upper side of the valve
assembly A to the lower side and also from the lower side of valve assembly B to its upper side.
Tube D is not full of fluid. There is air above the fluid. As the fluid is forced to flow through the holes in the
valves into the tube D, it has turbulence, which causes air in the tube to mix with the fluid. This aeration
decreases the effective fluid viscosity which reduces the shock absorber control. On smooth road, this
phenomenon is not very significant because shock absorbers operate relatively less and the air gets time to
escape from the fluid. However, significant reduction of shock absorber control may occur on rough roads. To
prevent this gas-charged shock absorbers have been developed.