What is vehicle Suspension and its Types?
Hello, Guys, I am here with an article on what is vehicle suspension and its type. The suspension is the most important component of the vehicle for stability and comfort. Suspension maximizes the friction between the road and tries for good handling.
If the road were flat without any irregularities, there would be no requirement for suspension. But our roads are filled with bumps and irregularities which implies force on tires, therefore suspension is a must to keep the car on the road with good friction.
The bumps cause the wheels to move in perpendicular motion which causes vertical acceleration. This motion transfers the force to the body frame, the downward gravity slams the wheel back into the road surface. As a result, the tyre will lose contact with the road.
Independent Suspension:
This kind of suspension allows each wheel on the same axle to move independently in a vertical position when moving on an uneven surface. This way a force on the wheel will not affect the other wheel cause they are not mechanically connected. In most vehicles, it is mounted on the front wheels.
This kind of suspension provides good ride quality and handling due to less un-sprung weight. It requires less space and it is lightweight which provides better steerability.
Types of Independent Vehicle Suspension :
1. MacPherson Strut
It is an independent type of suspension and got its name from Earle S. McPherson who developed this design. It is a very popular suspension, because of its simplicity and low manufacturing cost. They have a low un-sprung weight which helps in low vehicle weight and comfortable ride.
The disadvantage is that it is more difficult to insulate against road noise, for this an upper strut mount is necessary, which should be decoupled as possible. It also requires greater clearance height.
Courtesy: Engineering Explained
2. Double wishbone/A-ARM
It is also a type of independent suspension with two wishbone-shaped arms. Each wishbone has two mounting points to the chassis and one joint at the knuckle. The angle movements of the compressing and rebounding wheels can be managed by using arms of unequal length.
This allows easy adjustment of the camber, toe and other parts of the suspension. This type of suspension also provides increasing negative camber gain all the way to full bounce travel.
It has a design limit and takes more space and it is more complex than the other system like Macpherson strut.
3 Air Suspension
It is a type of vehicle suspension powered by an electric or engine-driven air pump or compressor. This compressor pumps the air into flexible bellows, usually made from textile-reinforced rubber. The air pressure inflates the bellows and raises the chassis from the axle. Read more here
Type of Dependent Vehicle Suspension:
In the Dependent Suspension, there is a linkage between the two-wheel on the same axle, the force acting on one wheel will also affect the other wheel on the same axle. It is mostly used on heavy vehicles. It can bear shocks with a great capacity than independent suspension.
Courtesy: Engineering Explained
1. Solid Axle
It is one of the types of dependent suspension. It is mostly used in rear wheels. The vertical movement of one wheel influences the other, because of this it can lose control when the vehicle is turning.
There are various ways for a solid axle. One it has two leaf springs supporting the rear axle. Leaf spring is mostly used in trucks or heavy vehicles, it is not very good suspension but a cheap option to use and durable.
The trailing control arm is a good option as it prevents the axle from side movement and front & back movement because it is connected to the chassis and the axle.
It is the most durable suspension system.
Courtesy: Engineering Explained
There are various other types of suspension but these are the most used systems.
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