Chapter-Three: Suspension System

CHAPTER-THREE
SUSPENSION
SYSTEM
Content
 Introduction
 The role of a vehicle suspension
 Definitions & terminology
 Suspension types
 Suspension components
 Roll center Analysis
Introduction
 What is an Automotive Suspension?
 An Automotive Suspension is the system of parts that
give a vehicle the ability to maneuver.
 It is a 3 Dimensional Four Bar Linkage
 What does a suspension do?
 A vehicle suspension maximize the road holding,
provides steering stability with good handling and
ensures the comfort of the passengers
The Roll of Suspension
 To provide Ride & Handling Performance-
 Ride - vehicle's ability to smooth out a bumpy road
 Handling - vehicle's ability to safely accelerate, brake
and corner. (min roll and pitch acceleration)
 To ensure that steering control is maintained during
manoeuvring- this requires
 To support the vehicle static weight
 To provide isolation from high vibration arising from tyre
excitation
The Roll of Suspension
 React the control force produced by the as a result of

 Longitudinal braking & acceleration forces
 Lateral (cornering) forces
 Braking & acceleration torques
 This requires the suspension geometry to be designed
to resist squat drive & roll of the vehicle body
Basic Function
 The components of the suspension system
perform six basic functions:
 Maintain correct vehicle ride height
 Reduce the effect of shock forces
 Maintain correct wheel alignment
 Support vehicle weight
 Keep the tires in contact with the road
 Control the vehicle’s direction of travel
Suspension Elements
 Suspension = a system of springs + dampers + linkages
All suspensions use

Springs
- to absorb impacts and
Dampers (or shock absorbers)
- to control spring motions.
Suspension Elements
 Spring Types
 Leaf springs
 Helical Coil springs
 Torsional springs
 Rubber springs
 Air springs
Dampers
A shock absorber is basically an oil
pump placed between the frame of the
car and the wheels.
It allows the dissipation of energy
stored in springs.
Basic Suspension Terminology
 Sprung Mass (Everything supported by the springs)
 The vehicle masses that are supported by the vehicle
springs
 Sprung weight moves “indirectly” with the road surface
 Body, Engine, passengers, parts of drive train, and parts of
suspension.
 Unsprung Mass (Everything between the springs and the road surface)
 Mass of components that move when suspension is

displaced
 Unsprung weight moves “directly” with the road surface
 Wheels, tires, brakes, some suspension etc.
Sprung Mass
Body, Engine, passengers, parts of
drive train, and parts of suspension
Unsprung Mass
Wheels, tires, brakes, some suspension
Travel is another important parameter and defines the upper and lower
limits of the wheel motion. If a wheel bottoms, it can cause serious
control problems and cause damage.
 Since the sprung mass is treated as a rigid body, it has 6
DOF comprising 3 translations & 3 rotations. Only 3 of
these are relevant for suspension studies,
 Bounce
 Roll
 Pitch
 Bump Travel
 Vertical distance wheel is able to move up from static position,
with reference to vehicles sprung mass
 Droop Travel
 Vertical distance wheel is able to move down from static
position with reference to vehicles sprung mass
The upward suspension travel that

compresses the spring and shock
absorber is called the jounce, or
compression.
The downward travel of the tire and
wheel that extends the spring and shock
absorber is called rebound, or
extension.
 Roll
 Front View angular rotation of the sprung vehicle
mass
Anti-Roll bar, (ARB) or Stabilizer bar, increases the suspension's roll stiffness.
 Roll Center
 Center at which the sprung mass pivots about
during a roll situation (lateral acceleration)
 This is a dynamic point: moves around throughout
suspension travel
 Pitch
 Side View angular rotation of the sprung vehicle
mass
 Pitch Center
 Center at which the sprung mass pivots about
during a Pitch situation (fore/aft acceleration)
 This is a dynamic point: moves around throughout
suspension travel
 Wheel Orientation
 Since one of the functions of a suspension system is to
maintain the position of the wheels constant relative to
the road throughout the motion of the suspension, it is
important to identify how the wheel position is defined.
 Steering Axis
 Steering Axis Inclination
 Toe
 Camber Angle
 Caster Angle
 Steering Axis (PSA) or King Pin Axis (KPA)
 Axis about which the wheel/Tire rotate about during steering
inputs
When the wheels of a vehicle

are steered they pivot about an
Upper Ball Joint
axis that is defined by an
imaginary line drawn through
the wheel pivots (ball joint or
king pin).
Lower Ball Joint
 Caster Angle
 The inclination of the steering axis, relative to a vertical
line from the road surface, as viewed from the side of the
vehicle.
 Positive caster results in a caster offset in front of the contact
patch center.
Caster Trail
The linear dimension,
at the road surface,
between the PSA
and the center of the
tire contact patch, as
viewed from the side
 Caster Angle
 Caster adds to straight line stability, steering return-ability and
affects the wheel camber as the wheels are steered
 Caster angle varies between 3 to 6o.
 For easier steering, a small caster angle is required.
 Cross Caster (unequal left and right caster) leads to steering
wander
Caster causes self-centering action in the

steering
 Camber
 The inclination of the rotational plane of the tire, relative to
a vertical line from the road surface, as viewed from the
front of the vehicle.
 Positive camber- The top of the tire rotational plane is
outside of the normal to the road surface, negative inside
 Camber
Positive Camber Negative Camber
 Camber
 Camber is a tire wearing angle.
 Camber angle in modern cars is reduced to below 1o.
 However, a negative front wheel camber is used in some
sports car to improve cornering ability.
Camber changes as suspension

moves up (bump) and down (droop)
Tires generate more cornering force
with a small amount of negative
camber
 Steering Axis Inclination (SAI or KPI)
 Its function is the same as that of the camber
 Axis inclination causes the front end of the vehicle to rise as the
wheel is turned. Therefore a self-aligning torque is produced
resulting in better directional stability.
 It produces positive camber at the outside wheel during cornering,
thus increasing understeer
characteristics.
It is usually 3 to 7 degrees for

passenger cars. For trucks, it is
zero.
 Scrub Radius
 The linear dimension between
the PSA and the center of the
tire contact patch (front view)
is called the scrub radius.
 The scrub radius can be
 positive (PSA inside),
 zero, or
 Negative (PSA outside Tire
Contact Patch
 Toe
 Top view angle of the tire in a static situation
 Static Toe Angle [deg] - The angle measured between the
centerline of the vehicle and the rotational plane of the
tire as viewed from the top.
 Important for both front and rear tires
 Toe
 The linear dimension difference between the front and
rear measurements taken at the forward most point in the
tire rotation planes.
 Toe-out is usually produced during straight-ahead driving
due to the elsticity of the steering linkage, worn parts, etc.
and during cornering.
Toe In (Positive Toe) Toe-Out (Negative Toe)

 Toe
 Toe-out cause tire wear.
 Toe-in is given to the wheels cancel these effects. It also
provides a lateral force to resist side loads.
 Too much toe-in results in excessive tire wear.
Feathering (scuffing)
Types of Suspension
 Factors which primary affect the choice of suspension type at
the front or rear of a vehicle are
 Engine Location
 Whether the wheels are
 Driven or un driven and
 Steered or un steered
 Suspensions can be broadly classified as

 Active Suspension
 Conventional suspension
Types of Suspension
 Semi-active suspensions
 include devices such as
 Air-springs
 Switchable shock absorbers,
 Hydropneumatic suspensions.
 Active Suspension
 currently sell shock absorbers filled with a
magnetorheological fluid, whose viscosity can be changed
electromagnetically, thereby giving variable control without
switching valves. (Bose suspension )
Types of Suspension
 Conventional Suspension System
 Dependent Suspension
 The motion of a wheel on one side of the vehicle is
dependant on the motion of partner on the other side
 Independent Suspension
 The motion of wheel pairs is independent, so that a
disturbance at one wheel is not directly transmitted to its
partner
Types of Suspension
Types of Suspension
 Dependent (Driving and Non-driving)
 Dead Solid Beam Axle
 Twist Beam
 Live Solid Beam Axle
 Hotchkiss with semi-elliptic leaf spring
 Independent (Driving and Non-driving)

 MacPherson Strut
 Double Wishbone (short-long arm – SLA)
 Multi Link
Types of Suspension
 These are not common on the passenger cars
 They are still used on commercial & off-high way
vehicles.
 Have the advantages of
 being relatively simple in contraction &
 almost completely eliminate camber change thereby
reducing tyre wear
Types of Suspension
Note: Solid link between left and right wheels

Types of Suspension
 Independent System
 This form of suspension has benefits
 in packaging &
 give grater design freedom when compared to dependent
system
 Some of the common forms of front & rear designs will
be considered.
Types of Suspension
 Independent System
Note: left and right wheels are

decoupled
Types of Suspension
 Front Suspension System
 Common Suspension
 MacPherson strut
 Double wishbone
Designs
 Beam – coil springs  Beam Axle
 Beam – leaf springs  Swing Axle
 Rear Suspension System  De Dion
 Twist beam – American type/ European type  Double Wishbone /Unequal
 Beam – coil springs Length A-arm
 Beam – leaf springs

 MacPherson strut
 Double wishbone
 Multi link
 Others – DeDion, Watts link, sliding pillar, transverse leaf
Types of Suspension-Front
 Rigid (Beam) axle suspension
 Beam – leaf springs
 Used on heavy duty and light trucks
 Beam axle is located by leaf springs.
 - Same as for coil springs, but added
friction in leaves further degrades
comfort.
 - Increased sprung weight, poor wheel
control
 + Same as for coil springs, but cheaper
due to fewer parts since springs act as
control arms.
 + Simple and durable, low cost
 Live axle can be used for 4WD
Rigid (Beam) Axle Suspension
 Beam – Coil Springs
 Used on Jeep Grand Cherokee,
 If coil springs are used instead of leaf
springs, trailing arms are used to locate it
laterally.
 High unsprung mass = poor ride comfort.
 Low tech image but rugged and durable.
 + Good load carrying capability.
 + Cheaper than alternatives for carrying
heavy loads because suspension and
substructure are integrated.
 + No Camber related tire wear issues
 Torsion Bars
 Used in place of coil springs, usually 4WD trucks
 Bar twists, resisting movement of lower control arm
 One of the most popular systems
 One Control Arm
 Ideal for front wheel drive
 Light weight
 Economical
 Good ride quality and handling
characteristics
 Used for both front and rear suspensions
 Camber curve not as flexible as wishbone.
 Friction in strut can be troublesome.

 It is mechanically simple, requires very little lateral space, its
unsprung mass is small. In addition, its up-and-down motion causes
very little camber change.
 It requires considerable vertical space. Lateral loads in the strut
increases damper friciton.
Advantages Disadvantages
 Low production costs  Large camber variation
 Stamped construction  Body roll and wheel movement

contribute to camber attitude
 Preassembled
 Vertically tall mounting position
 Strut body carries spring  This compromises vehicle styling
assembly
 Rough ride
 Compact  Some ride comfort may be lost,
 Simple mounting and no need as it is hard to move smoothly
for an upper control arm because of bending input force
 Simplicity  Dangerous replacement

 The spring must be compressed
 Reduction in fasteners and
and assembled on the strut
alignment of vehicle
body, this causes the handling of
suspension components. a charged spring.
 Short and Long Arm (SLA)
(Double Wishbone)
 Uses an upper and a lower
control arm
 Uses either torsion bars or coil
springs
 Good ride quality and handling
characteristics
 Heavy and complex design
requires a lot of space
 Also used on many passenger
vehicles and light trucks

 Double Wishbone
Each arm of the wishbone

is a separate item
double A-arms lower A-arm is a single solid arm

 Double Wishbone
 Parallel and equal wishbones,
 the camber change is equal to the body roll change. The wheel moves
over bumps without any camber change but
 track will change affecting linear stability by introducing lateral forces.
 Shortening the upper wishbone
 to obtain constant track and
 to reduce camber change due to body roll during cornering.
 However, this time a camber change is introduced during up-and down
motion.
 Nonparallel and unequal wishbone
 the outside wheel virtually upright irrespective of the body roll and a
 relatively constant track can be maintained.
 The camber, castor, roll center, etc…. can all be
individually adjusted on this type of suspension relatively
easily
 Advantages
 Arguably the best handling suspension design
 Wheel gains negative camber in bump
 Low Unsprung Weight
 Packaging does not compromise styling
 Low Height
 Many different geometry characteristics possible
 Designer can design suspension with minimal compromises
 Infinite adjustability, with the most ease
 Vehicles roll centers can be placed almost anywhere
 Disadvantages
 More expensive
 More components to make and assemble
 Alignment and fitment are critical to vehicle performance, large area of
adjustment
 Tolerance of parts must be smaller
 Requires constant alignment checks for optimum performance
 More complex
 Design often becomes more complex because all suspension parameters
are variable
 Frame has to be able to pick up A-arm inboard points
 Tire scrub occurs with vertical wheel displacement
 However this can be minimized during design
Double Wishbone
MacPherson Strut
Types of Suspension-Rear
Rigid (Beam) axle suspension
Solid Beam Axle with Leaf Springs also known a Hotchkiss
“Default” rear suspension for light
trucks.
+ Carries heavy load with low cost
and technology.
- As for beam – leaf front
suspensions.
Mounting one rear shock in the front of

the axle and one behind the axle helps
to reduce wind up and axle tramp
 Rigid (Beam) axle suspension
Beam – coil springs
+ Good combination of load

carrying, relative comfort and
low cost
-As for beam – coil front
suspensions
The upper control arms control lateral
movement (side movement)
The lower control arms control
differential torque (wind up)
Rigid (Beam) axle suspension
Twist Beam
Primarily used on American
designed minivans
Twisting element is placed
between wheels
- Twisting element far from
kinematic torsion center.
+ Inexpensive design.
+ Can offer better lateral control of
axle than European style.
+ Packages well to provide
maximum cargo space
 Twist Beam Dependent Non-Driving
 Trailing Arm
 Independent Design
 Uses individual lower control
arms
 Uses coil springs and shocks
 Good ride quality
 Compared with the rigid
beam axle, the unsprung
mass is much lower.
 MacPherson Strut Independent Non-Drive
Also called “Chapman strut”, after Colin Chapman,
founder of Lotus Cars.
Can be live (drive) or dead (non-drive) axle.
In the 80s and 90s, was be considered
“default IRS” for sedans. Used by Ford
Taurus, Ford Escort, Dodge/Chrysler sedans,
etc.
+ Advantages as per MacPherson, front.
+ Good packaging width-wise, struts are far
apart laterally.
- Vertical packaging is not good (too tall) for
trunk.
- Handling performance not as good as multi-
link or wishbone types.
Fords
MacPherson Strut
Toyota
Double wishbone (SLA)
 Comments same as for
double wishbone – front.
 + Main advantage is control
of wheel position and
stiffness.
 - Main disadvantage is the
number of pieces and the
complex loading of them.
 - Alignment important for
vehicle handling
Multi-Link Independent Drive Axle
 Multi-link
 Gaining popularity due to simplicity of components and
performance advantages.
 + Simple components, mostly two-force members.
 + Good wheel position control like double wishbone.
 + Compliances can be decoupled (longitudinal and lateral).
 - More components than other suspension types.
 - Assembly tolerances can be greater than other suspensions
due to number of components.
Types of Suspension-Others
 De Dion
 Semi-independent rigid (beam) axle suspension
 Jointed axles are used, on drive wheels,
 The wheels are connected with a solid member, most
often a DeDion axle.
 This differs from "dependent" mainly in unsprung weight.
Types of Suspension-Others
 Swing Axle
 Used in small commercial vehicles.
 Wheel travel results in considerable
 camber change,
 track variation.
 Body roll is also excessive.
 Jacking effects can result in erratic
cornering performance.
Suspension Systems - Active
 Hydropneumatic springs
 the spring is produced by a constant mass of gas
(typically nitrogen) in a variable volume enclosure.
 The principle of operation of a basic diaphragm
accumulator spring
 As the wheel deflects in bump, the piston moves
upwards transmitting the motion to the fluid and
compressing the gas via the flexible diaphragm.
 The gas pressure increases as its volume
decreases to produce a hardening spring
characteristic.
 Hydropneumatic springs
 The front and rear
suspension units are
interconnected.
 If front wheel is deflected,
interconnecting pipe is
pressurized, thus stiffening
the rear wheel suspension.
 This creates a very smooth
ride.
 Bose Suspension
 A linear electromagnetic motor is used
with conventional shock absorbers,
springs and struts.
 Sensors at various locations to detect
body and suspension movement.
 Produces excellent ride quality and
superior control in the same system
 LEM can extend and compress at a
much greater speed, virtually
eliminating all vibrations in the
passanger cabin.
 Bose Suspension
 Linear Electromagnetic Motor
 Responds quickly enough to counter the effects of bumps and
road irregularities
 Power Amplifier
 Sends power to the motor during extension and returns power
during retraction
 Control Algorithms
 Observe sensor measurements and send commands to the
power amplifiers
 Bose Suspension
 Uses sensor measurements to
instantaneously counteract
road forces
 Produces excellent ride quality
and superior control in the
same system
 Disadvantages
 High initial cost
 High repair costs
 Complex systems
 Applications
Magnetic Ride Control
Bose Suspension  Currently offered on Cadillac SRX
 System will be offered on and Seville STS models.
high end luxury vehicles  Offered on the Chevrolet Corvette
within the next 5 years. for the 2003 model year.
 The same technology has  Mercedes S600
been applied in Military  BMW 7 series
applications.
Suspension Systems - Other
Watts Linkage
DeDion
Swing Arm
Semi-Trailing Arm
Suspension Components
 Knuckle
 Control arm
 Subframe
 Stabilizer system
 Springs, shocks and struts
 Bearings and braking components
 Bushings and ball joints
 Knuckle
 Function of the knuckle is to attach rotating
components to suspension components; distribute
load from road to body.
 Vertical, lateral, longitudinal and torque loads are
carried by the knuckle.
 Also known as “wheel carrier”, “hub carrier”, “spindle”
or “upright”.
 Knuckle
Mulit-link
MacPherson
SLA
 Control Arm
 Function of the control arm is to attach the
knuckle to the chassis, react wheel loads, and to
guide the knuckle providing for correct suspension
geometry
 eg. Camber , Caster, Toe, SAI
The lower control arm carries a

large portion of the lateral and
longitudinal loading from the wheel.
 Control Arms – Various types
Sub-Frame
Function of subframe is to attach suspension, steering
and powertrain components to vehicle body.
 Subframe carries a large portion of lateral and longitudinal
loads.
 Because it is a large flexible structure, design consideration
for NVH performance is particularly important. Typically it is
mounted to the chassis through rubber isolators. This helps
isolate road noise and vibration transmission from the wheels
to the chassis.
 Sub-Frame – Various Types
Anti-Roll Stabilizer Bar
 Function of stabilizer system is to reduce the
vehicle roll angle when cornering, and also to
produce the desired level of roll understeer.
 Stabilizer drop links attach to knuckle or strut,
stabilizer bar is a torsion spring which attaches to
the subframe. Vertical loading is present at the
stabilizer bar bushings to the subframe.
Anti-Roll Stabilizer Bar

 Springs, shocks and struts
 Function of spring is to support vehicle weight.
 Function of shock absorber (damper) is to
absorb energy from road and to reduce
sprung mass vibrations.
 Function of strut is to carry lateral and vertical
loading.
 Strut Rod
 Connected to frame & lower control arm
 Controls fore & aft movement of control arm
 May provide for caster adjustment
 Bushings and ball joints
 Function of bushings is to absorb road bumps and
high frequency vibrations; also to provide precise
positioning of suspension components for safe
handling. These functions are provided while also
allowing articulation.
 Function of ball joints is to allow articulation, but
with very high stiffness, such as when part of the
steering mechanism or when high precision
handling is required (sports cars).
Bushing
Ball Joint
 Bearings and braking components
 Function of bearings and hub units is to allow
rotation between wheel/tire and vehicle.
Hub/bearing carries all forces and moments and
distributes them to the knuckle.
 Function of braking components is to decelerate the
vehicle, in addition they play a dominant role as the
main actuator in ABS, traction control and stability
control systems.
Drum Brake Disc Brake

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CHAPTER-THREE

 React the control force produced by the as a result of

All suspensions use

 Mass of components that move when suspension is

The upward suspension travel that

When the wheels of a vehicle

Caster causes self-centering action in the

Camber changes as suspension

It is usually 3 to 7 degrees for

Toe In (Positive Toe) Toe-Out (Negative Toe)

 Suspensions can be broadly classified as

 Independent (Driving and Non-driving)

Note: Solid link between left and right wheels

Note: left and right wheels are

 Beam – leaf springs

 Friction in strut can be troublesome.

 Stamped construction  Body roll and wheel movement

 Simplicity  Dangerous replacement

Each arm of the wishbone

double A-arms lower A-arm is a single solid arm

Mounting one rear shock in the front of

+ Good combination of load

The lower control arm carries a

Anti-Roll Stabilizer Bar

Drum Brake Disc Brake

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