Suspension Design Case

Study
Purpose
Suspension to be used on a small
(lightweight) formula style racecar.
Car is intended to navigate tight road
courses
Surface conditions are expected to be
relatively smooth


Performance Design Parameters
For this case the main objective is to
optimize mechanical grip from the tire.
This is achieved by considering as much
tire information as possible while
designing the suspension
Specific vehicle characteristics will be
considered.

Considerations
Initially the amount of suspension travel
that will be necessary for this application
must be considered.
One thing that is often overlooked in a four
wheeled vehicle suspension design is droop
travel.
Depending on the expected body roll the designer
must allow adequate droop travel.
Introduction
Components
Upper A-arm
The upper A-arm serves to
carry some of the load
generated on the
suspension by the tire.
This force is considerably
less then the load carried
by the lower A-arm in a
push rod set-up
The arm only has to
provide a restoring force to
the moment generated by
the tire on the lower ball
joint
Components
Lower A-arm
The lower A-arm serves the
same purpose as the upper
arm, except that in a
pushrod configuration it is
responsible for carrying the
vertical load
In this case study the lower
A-arm will carry a larger
rod end to compensate for
the larger forces seen by
this component.
Components
Upright
The upright serves several
purposes in the suspension
Connects the upper A-
arm, lower A-arm, steering
arm, and the tire
Carries the spindle and
bearing assembly
Holds the brake caliper in
correct orientation with the
rotor
Provides a means for
camber and castor
adjustment
Components
Spindle
Spindle can come in two
basic configurations
Live spindle
Fixed spindle
In the live spindle
configuration the whole
spindle assembly rotates
and carries the tire and
wheel
The fixed spindle
configuration carries a hub
assembly which rotates
about the spindle
Both configurations carry
the brake rotor
Live Vs. Fixed Spindle
Advantages and Disadvantages
Live Spindle :
Less parts
Lighter weight if designed
correctly
More wheel offset
Bearing concerns
Retention inside of the
upright assembly
Fixed spindle
Simple construction
Hub sub-assembly
Spindle put in considerable
bending
More components, and
heavier
Components
Push rod
The push rod carries
the load from the lower
A-arm to the inboard
coil over shock
The major concern
with this component is
the buckling force
induced in the tube

Components
Toe rod (steering link)
The toe rod serves as a
like between the steering
rack inboard on the vehicle
The location of the ends of
this like are extremely
critical to bump steer and
Ackermann of the steering
system
This link is also used to
adjust the amount of toe-
out of the wheels
Components
Bellcrank
This is a common racing
description of the lever
pivot that translates to
motion of the push rod into
the coil over shock
The geometry of this pivot
can be designed to enable
the suspension to have a
progressive or digressive
nature
This component also offers
the designer the ability to
include a motion ratio in the
suspension
Components
Coil-over Shock
Absorber
This component
carries the vehicle
corner weight
It is composed of a coil
spring and the damper
This component can
be used to adjust ride
height, dampening,
spring rate, and wheel
rate
Components
Anti-Roll bar
This component is an
additional spring in the
suspension
Purpose: resist body roll
It accomplishes this by
coupling the left and right
corners of the vehicle
When the vehicle rolls the
roll bar forces the vehicle to
compress the spring on
that specific corner as well
as some portion of the
opposite corners spring
This proportion is adjusted
by changing the spring
rate of the bar itself
*Unclear in this picture the
Anti-Roll bar tube actually
passes inside the chassis
Beginning the Design Process
Initially the suspension
should be laid out from
a 2-D front view
Static and dynamic
camber should be
defined during this step
Camber
The main consideration at this step is the
camber change throughout the
suspension travel.
Camber
Static Camber
Describes the camber angle with loaded vehicle not
in motion


Dynamic Camber
Describes the camber angle of a corner at any
instant during a maneuver i.e.: cornering,
launching, braking
Contact Patch
Tread area in contact
with the road at any
instant in time
Camber
Camber is used to offset
lateral tire deflection and
maximize the tire contact
patch area while cornering.

Camber
Negative Camber angles

good for lateral acceleration,
cornering

bad for longitudinal
acceleration,
launching/braking

This is because the direction of the
tire deflection is obviously not the
same for these two situations
Camber
Cornering Situation
Maximum lateral grip is
needed during cornering
situations.

In a cornering situation the
car will be rolled to some
degree

Meaning the suspension
will not be a static position

For this reason static
suspension position is
much less relevant than
the dynamic

Camber
Launch/Braking Situation
Maximum longitudinal grip is needed during launch/brake
situations.
In a launch/brake situation the car will be pitched to some degree

Suspension will not be in a static position

Compromise
It is apparent that the suspension is likely to be
at the same position for some cornering
maneuvers as it is during launching/braking
maneuvers

For this reason we must compromise between too
little and too much negative camber

This can be approximated with tire data and often
refined during testing
Defining Camber
Once we set our static camber we must
adjust our dynamic camber curves

This is done by adjusting the lengths of the
upper and lower A-arms and the position of
the inboard and out board pivots

These lengths and locations are often driven
by packaging constraints
Instant Center
The instant center is a dynamic point which the
wheel will pivot about and any instant during the
suspension travel
For a double wishbone configuration this point moves
as the suspension travels


CHASSIS
Instant Center
Mild Camber Change Design

-Suspension arms are close to parallel

-Wide instant center locations
Mild Camber Change Design

0.4 of Neg. Camber Gain Per inch of Bump
Aggressive Camber Change Design

-Suspension arms are far from parallel

-Instant center locations are inside the track width
More Aggressive Camber Change Design
1.4 of Neg. Camber Gain Per inch of Bump
Jacking forces
It is important to consider the Instant
Center Position, because when it moves
vertically off the ground plane Jacking
forces are introduced




Jacking forces
Caused during cornering by a moment
Force: lateral traction force of tire
Moment arm: Instant Center height
Moment pivot: Instant center
CHASSIS
Instant Center
Lateral Force Ground
I.C. Height
Jacking Forces
CHASSIS
I. C.
Lateral Force
I.C. Height
Caused by geometrical binding of the upper and
lower A-arms
These forces are transferred from the tire to the
chassis by the A-arms, and reduce the amount of
force seen by the spring

Jacking
Forces
Roll Center
The roll center can be identified from this 2-D front view
Found at the intersection lines drawn for the Instant center to the
contact patch center point, and the vehicle center line
I. C.
Roll Center
V
e
h
i
c
l
e

C
e
n
t
e
r

L
i
n
e

Roll Center
For a parallel-Iink Situation the Roll Center is
found on the ground plane
Roll Center
V
e
h
i
c
l
e

C
e
n
t
e
r

L
i
n
e

Significance of the Roll Center
Required Roll stiffness of the suspension
is determine by the roll moment. Which is
dependant on Roll center height
Roll Center
Sprung Mass C.G.
Roll Moment
Present during lateral acceleration (the cause of body roll)

Moment Arm:
B = Sprung mass C.G. height Roll center height

Force:
F = (Sprung Mass) x (Lateral Acceleration)

R. C.
Sprung Mass
C.G.
B
Roll Axis
To consider the total vehicle you must
look at the roll axis
Rear Roll Center
Front Roll Center
Sprung Mass C.G.
Side View
The next step will be to consider the response of
the suspension geometry to pitch situation
For this we will move to a 2-D side-view

Inboard A-arm
pivot points
Ground
Front Rear
CHASSIS

Anti-Features
By angling the A-arms from the side jacking
forces are created
These forces can be used in the design to provide
pitch resistance
Ground
Front
Rear
CHASSIS
Anti-Dive
Anti-Lift
Anti-Features
Racecars rely heavily on wings and
aerodynamics for performance.
Aerodynamically efficient, high-down force
cars are very sensitive to pitch changes.
A pitch change can drastically affect the
amount of down force being produced.
Much less important for lower speed cars
Pitch Center
Pitch Center
The pitch center can be identified from this
2-D side view
Found at the intersection lines drawn for the
Instant center to the contact patch center point
Pitch Moment
Pitch Center
Present during longitudinal acceleration
Moment Arm:
B = Sprung mass C.G. height Roll center height

Force:
F = (Sprung Mass) x (Longitudinal Acceleration)

B
F