The suspension system, while not

absolutely
essential
to
the
operation of a motor vehicle, makes
a big difference in the amount of
pleasure experienced while driving.

Essentially, it acts as a "bridge"

between the occupants of the
vehicle and the road they ride on.

The

term
suspension refers to
the ability of this
bridge to "suspend"
a vehicle's frame,
body and powertrain
above the wheels.

Suspension
system
The automobile

chassis is mounted on the

axles, not direct but through some form of
springs
This is to isolate the road shocks bounce,
pitch, roll or sway
All the parts which perform the function of
isolating the automobile from the road shock
are collectively called a suspension system.
It includes the springing device used and

various mountings for the same

Object
s

To prevent the road shocks from being

transmitted to the vehicle components

To safe guard the occupants from road

shocks

To preserve the stability of the vehicle in

pitching or rolling while in motion

Basic considerations

Vertical loading bumps or pits

It is seen that to reduce pitching tendency of the vehicle the

frequency of front springing system should be less than that of
the rear springing system

Rolling - centrifugal force

The C G of the vehicle is considerable above the ground ,
due to this reason while taking the turn the centrifugal forces
acts outwards on the CG of the vehicle, while the road
resistance act in ward at the wheels . This give raise to a
couple turning the vehicle about a longitudinal axis

Brake dip
On braking , the noise of the vehicle has a tendency to
be lowered or to dip. This depends upon the position
of center of gravity relative to the ground the wheel
base

and

other

suspension

phenomenon is called as DIP

charestics.

the

Side thrust
Centrifugal forces during cornering , cross wind , cambering
of the road etc, cause a side thrust to be applied to the
vehicle. Such forces are usually absorbed by the rigidity of
the leaf spring

Un sprung weight the weight of vehicle

components between the suspension and the road
surface
Miscellaneous

Types of suspension
springs
Steel
springs
a) Leaf springs
springs
c) Coil springs

b)

Tapered

leaf

d) Torsion bar

Rubber springs
a) Compression
shear
c) Steel - reinforced
e) Face shear

Plastic springs
Air springs
Hydraulic springs

b) compression d) Progressive
f) Torsional shear

leaf spring
Originally called laminated or carriage

spring, a is a simple form of spring,

commonly used for the suspension in
wheeled vehicles.
It is also one of the oldest forms of

springing,
times.

dating

back

to

medieval

Also referred to as a semi-elliptical spring or cart

spring, it takes the form of a slender arc-shaped length

of spring steel of rectangular cross-section.

The center of the arc provides location for the axle,

while are provided at either end for attaching to the

vehicle body.

For very heavy vehicles, a leaf spring can be made from

several leaves stacked on top of each other in several

layers, often with progressively shorter leaves.

Leaf springs can serve locating and to some extent

damping as well as springing functions.

Today leaf springs are still used in heavy

commercial vehicles such as vans and

trucks, SUVs, and railway carriages.

For

heavy vehicles, they have the

advantage of spreading the load more
widely over the vehicle's chassis,
whereas coil springs transfer it to a
single point.

Types of leaf springs

Two semi elliptic springs connected to

form the shape of an ellipse

One semi-elliptic spring is connected

over a quarter elliptic spring

Forming the shape of

half ellipse

Semi-elliptical leaf springs are almost

universally used for suspension in light

and commercial vehicles
For cars also these are widely used for
rear suspension

Half of the semi-elliptic

This is the cheapest one

It is fitted parallel to the wheel axle

Front axle

Rear leaf spring

Consists of a number of leaves called blades

The blades vary in length
Lengthiest blade - has eyes on its ends

master leaf
All the blades are bound together by steel
strap- U bolt

They allow for a wider range of loading

Used in commercial vehicles
During light load these springs do not come

into operation

Helper spring

Leaf spring material

Cr-V steel
Silico-Manganese steel
Carbon steel

Fiber composite
leaf springs

These are made of fiber glass, laminated and

bonded together by tough polyster resins.
They are becoming popular because
These are 3 to 5 times lighter than metallic leaf
springs
Absence of squeaking noise means quieter ride
Since only one leaf is used there is no friction as
in multi leaf springs
No sagging with time lesser maintenance
No danger of sudden spring failure

Tapered leaf (Taperlite)

spring

Light weight 60% of conventional leaf spring

No friction between leaves
The stresses are lower and minimum
They occupy less
No collection of moisture between the leaves(in

single taper leaf spring)

Coil springs

A Coil spring, also known as a helical

spring, is a mechanical device, which is

typically used to store energy and
subsequently release it, to absorb
shock, or to maintain a force between
contacting surfaces.

Compression coil spring

Tension coil spring

Conical coil spring

Used mainly with independent suspension

And also used in rigid axle suspension
The energy stored per unit volume is

almost double than leaf springs

No noise problem
Takes shear as well as bending stresses
Cannot

thrust

take torque reaction and side

Occupies less space

Helper Coil
springs

Torsion bar

Simply

a
rod
acting in torsion
and taking shear
stresses only
Made
of
heat
treated
alloy
spring steel
The amount of
energy
stored
per unit weight is
almost same as
for coil springs
Used
with
independent
suspension
system
Lighter compared
to leaf springs
and occupies less
space

Torsion bar with load applied

Torsion bar with no load
applied

Rubber
springs

Advantages

It can store more energy per

unit weight than the steel
Rubber
has
excellent
vibration damping properties
No squeaking
Rubber is more reliable ( no
sudden failure like steel
springs)

Shock absorbers
Without a shock absorber, a spring that has

absorbed energy will release it by oscillating at

an uncontrolled rate.
The spring's inertia causes it to bounce and
overextend itself.
Then it recompresses, but again travels too far.
The spring continues to bounce at its natural
frequency until all the energy originally put
into the spring is used up by friction.
This effect can be quite detrimental to the
stability of a vehicle.

Shock
absorbers

A springing device must be a

compromise
between
flexibility and stiffness

Shock absorber controls or

dampens
the
spring vibrations

It

excessive

does not support

weight of the vehicle

the

Telescopic type hydraulic shock

absorber

One end is connected to the frame and the

other is connected to the moving suspension
part as the axle housing or a control arm
A & B two way valves
G - rod
H gland
J head
Eye E is connected to the

axle
Eye F is attached to the
chasis frame
Oil 60% transformer oil
- 40% turbine oil

Air suspension
Air

suspension is a type of vehicle

suspension powered by an engine driven
or electric air pump or compressor.
This pump pressurizes the air, using
compressed air as a spring.
\Air suspension replaces conventional
steel springs.
The purpose of air suspension is to
provide a smooth ride quality

Air
suspension

Stabilizer or Anti-roll bar

or sway bar
C- Torsion bar
A and B
Springs
D- short rods
E- Bearings

Types of suspension
system
Two types
Rigid axle

suspension
Independent
suspension

Rigid axle suspension

system
A

simple
non-independent
Suspension, consisting of a
rigid transverse member with
wheel hubs solidly bolted to it.
The axle can be attached to
the body by Leaf springs, or by
a combination of suspension
arms and links.

Solid axle suspension (also known as

rigid beam, or rigid axle) is the most

elementary form of connecting the
upper and lower halves of a vehicle.
As the name implies, it utilizes a

single piece of metal -- a common

axle for both wheels -- sprung

beneath the car's undercarriage.

Pivots located between the axle and
the wheel spindles allow the wheels
to swivel on each end.

In solid axle suspension, because

both wheels share the same axle,

the up or down movement of one
wheel causes a like movement in
the other wheel.
They respond as one unit.
This

doesn't make for the most

comfortable ride.

Even

though solid axle designs

utilize
springs
to
soften
their
inherently harsh ride characteristics ,
they still bump along like a brick
outhouse.
So why use them at all?
Because of the unitized construction,
solid axle suspension systems offer
incredible load bearing capacity.
They also handle uneven roads
superbly.
We will find them in trucks and off
road vehicles.

Single axle
Transverse leaf
spring

Advantages
Strength
Simplicity

(and

therefore

low

cost) and
Each wheel remains vertical at all

times - that is, there is no camber

change with suspension deflection

Disadvantages
The disadvantages include
A heavy unsprung weight
resulting in poor ride and
tyre adhesion over bumps
and
The
fact that the
behaviour of one wheel
can affect the other.

For

these reasons, a
non-independent beam
axle design is seldom
used on any vehicle

Independent
suspension

The wheels are sprung independent of each other,

so that tilting of one does not affect the other.

As

the name suggests, independent suspension

assemblies offer a separate "bridge" for each wheel.
They deliver the best ride characteristics by far, and are
found most frequently in passenger cars, minivans, and
other street vehicles. This is the most popular kind of
suspension system in use today. If you like the
"smoothness" of your car's ride, we can almost
guarantee
it
has
independent
suspension.

Independent suspension is

a broad term for any

automobile
suspension
system that allows each

wheel on the same axle

to move vertically (i.e.
reacting to a bump in the
road) independently of each
other.

Bump

Pot hole

Wishbone type
Most popular

It consists of upper and lower wishbone arms pivoted to the

frame member
These arms resemble letter A
The spring is placed in between the lower and underside of
the cross- member
The vehicle weight is transmitted from the body and cross
member to the coil spring through which it goes to the lower
wishbone member
A shock absorber is placed inside the coil spring and is
attached to the cross member and to lower wishbone member
The wishbone arms are like the chicken wishbone because of
the system is so called.
The upper arms are shorter in length than the lower ones, this
helps to keep the wheel track constant, there by minimise tyre
wear

Swinging half axle

suspension

With swing
axles
a
disturbance
on one side is
not
transferred to
the opposite
wheel as it is
with a solid
axle.

Trailing link independent

rear suspension

Trailing arms

Trailing
arm
suspension (the upper
picture) employs two
trailing arms which
are pivoted to the car
body at the arm's
front edge.
The arm is relatively
large compare with
other
suspensions'
control arms because
it is in single piece and
the upper surface
supports
the
coil
spring.
It is rigidly fixed to
the wheel at the other
end.

Mac Pherson strut

type suspension

This design is one of the most common used

today on cars.
It is a very simple system
In this approach the damper and spring are
usually integrated into a near-vertical
assembly with a ball joint placed at the base
of the strut and another bearing placed at its
top.
The whole damper/spring assembly turns
with the steering, with the wheel mounted on
a stub axle thats connected to the base of the
strut.

The upper end of the

strut bolts straight to

bodywork and the lower
part of the strut is
located by (usually) an
anti-sway bar and a
link.