This document discusses suspension design for an automotive vehicle. It begins with introducing suspensions and their purpose of maximizing tire friction for handling. It then outlines the process of suspension design, including selecting targets, architecture, hard points, rates, loads, and analyzing dynamics. Specific topics covered include desirable vehicle targets, suspension architectures, locating hard points, designing components, and understanding the effects of geometry on handling. The document emphasizes approximations and tuning over exact science for designing an effective suspension.
This document discusses suspension design for an automotive vehicle. It begins with introducing suspensions and their purpose of maximizing tire friction for handling. It then outlines the process of suspension design, including selecting targets, architecture, hard points, rates, loads, and analyzing dynamics. Specific topics covered include desirable vehicle targets, suspension architectures, locating hard points, designing components, and understanding the effects of geometry on handling. The document emphasizes approximations and tuning over exact science for designing an effective suspension.
This document discusses suspension design for an automotive vehicle. It begins with introducing suspensions and their purpose of maximizing tire friction for handling. It then outlines the process of suspension design, including selecting targets, architecture, hard points, rates, loads, and analyzing dynamics. Specific topics covered include desirable vehicle targets, suspension architectures, locating hard points, designing components, and understanding the effects of geometry on handling. The document emphasizes approximations and tuning over exact science for designing an effective suspension.
This document discusses suspension design for an automotive vehicle. It begins with introducing suspensions and their purpose of maximizing tire friction for handling. It then outlines the process of suspension design, including selecting targets, architecture, hard points, rates, loads, and analyzing dynamics. Specific topics covered include desirable vehicle targets, suspension architectures, locating hard points, designing components, and understanding the effects of geometry on handling. The document emphasizes approximations and tuning over exact science for designing an effective suspension.
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Suspension Design notes
By Rajeev Mokashi
BAJA SAEINDIA 2011 Workshop
23rd July 2010 Acknowledgements
Explanation of “Automotive Suspension”
www.HowStuffWorks.com
SAEINDIA presentation “Suspension design” by Mr Ravindra
“Vehicle Dynamics – Theory & Application” by Mr Reza N Jazar
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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?
“The job of a car suspension is to maximize the friction between the tires and the road surface, to provide steering stability with good handling”
Ref: www.HowStuffWorks.com
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Process of Suspension Design
Selecting vehicle level targets
Selecting system architecture – type of suspension etc. Choosing location of ‘Hard points’. Selecting rates of the bushings. Analysing the loads in suspension. Designing Spring rates Designing Shock absorber characteristics. Designing structure of each component – Strong, stiff, Light, easy to manufacture and Cheap. Analysing Vehicle Dynamics of the resulting design
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Vehicle level targets (main)
Ride heights at various states of load
Ride frequencies Roll stiffness (Deg / g of lateral acceleration) Distribution of load – front to rear Jounce travel (Bump / Compression) Rebound travel (Droop / Extension) Camber Caster Toe In / Toe Out
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Basic Suspension Terminology
Ride Height
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Desirables for Vehicle level targets
Stiffness – Design for maximum torsional stiffness and least
weight. This is checked by holding rear shock absorber points & applying torque at front shock absorber points. Provide large suspension travels – typically 250 ~ 300 mm. For typical ATV, ratio of Jounce travel to Rebound travel is 2:1. Provide sufficient ground clearance – more than 200 mm. Use maximum track / overall width allowed. Place wheels at farthest corners. Design to provide tunable features – to adjust Camber, Caster, Toe In, damping forces in shock absorber, spring force on assembly etc. Keep aggregates like Fuel tank, Powertrain etc. as low as possible.
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Suspension Architecture
Double Wishbone McPherson Strut
(Equal or Unequal arm) / semi –strut
• Lightest weight • Compact suspension
• Lowest unsprung mass • Less adjustability • Greatest adjustability for roll center height, camber, caster etc. Recommendation: Double wishbone – unequal arm
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Double wishbone suspension
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Hard point location
Hard points determine Static settings:
Toe (normally Toe In 3 ~ 5 mm) Camber (normally 0.5° ~ 2°) Caster (normally 2° ~ 4°) Roll center height at design load (vis-à-vis CG) caster trail Kingpin inclination (normally 7° ~ 8°) Scrub radius Spring / Shock absorber motion ratios
Hard points also affect Handling of the vehicle in dynamic state.
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Roll center
Roll center moves as suspension travels.
Goal of any suspension designer is to minimize Roll Center Migration.
Distance from roll center to CG is key to
decide roll couple. Lower distance the better.
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Design of suspension components
Wishbone – Control arms etc.
Keep calculations simple. Draw Free Body Diagrams for loads on wishbones. Design for Stiffness Æ Strength follows. Create clean Drawings /Sketches for fabrication. Keep Shapes simple. Calculate stresses for single events – 5 g impact etc. Ensure maximum stress below Yield Stress with good factor of safety.
Wishbone pivots / bushes
Use rubber bushings or solid bushings. Ensure wishbones move freely and do not rub against attachments / brackets etc. Rubber bushes, if readily available, are preferred. Compliances may be worked out during tuning
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Design of suspension components
Coil springs / shock absorbers
Coil springs over shock absorber designs are easy for tuning, by providing screwed type of spring seats on shock absorber body. Use wheel frequency of 100 ~ 125 cpm for designing spring stiffness. For passenger cars, this frequency is 60 ~ 80 cpm. Choose shock absorber length longer than required – by 10 mm or more, so that it does not bottom out with full bump (2.5 g). Check that coil spring does not become solid at full bump load.
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Effect of Suspension geometry on handling of vehicle
Affect on vehicle handling,
Suspension adjustment Symptom of too much adjustment limit adjustment Front Spring rate increase More understeer Terminal understeer, front of car hops in corners. Front spring rate decrease Less understeer Oversteers. then understeers as car bottoms excessively with jolting ride Rear spring rate increase More oversteer Too much oversteer, hop in corners, twitchy. Rear spring rate decrease Less oversteer Understeers, then oversteers as car bottoms out with a jolting ride. More negative camber on Less understeer /limit Poor braking, car is road crown sensitive, front wheels -3 degrees twitchy, tyres wear out on the inside edge More positive camber on More understeer, can make Poor braking, car is road crown sensitive, front wheels the tyres last longer twitchy, tires wear out on outer edge. More negative camber on Less oversteer, more rear grip More oversteer, car feels twitchy in back, rear wheels / limit -3 degrees tyres wear out on the inside edge More positive camber in More oversteer, more Twitchy in back, tires wear on outer edge. rear wheels forgiving limit
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Effect of Suspension geometry on handling of vehicle
Suspension Affect on vehicle handling,
Symptom of too much adjustment adjustment limit adjustment Toe In front Car is stable while going Car has slow twitchiness under braking, feels straight. Turn in is average. odd, wears out outer edge of tyres Toe In rear Less likely to oversteer when Weird slow rocking movement in back, feels throttle is lifted slow but unstable. Toe Out front Car turns in well, good in FWD Twitchy under braking, car is road crown cars. ( limit 6 mm toe out) sensitive, car wanders on straight road. Toe Out rear Helps car rotate, useful on tight Not good for street driving, causes lift throttle low speed courses and slalom oversteer, car makes violent side to side events (limit 3 mm total toe out) rocking motions in rear. Positive front caster Helps both stability, steady state Can increase understeer, increases steering cornering and turn in. Limit 6 efforts. degrees positive. Negative front caster Not usable
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One last word …….
Figuring a suspension of car is almost entirely
a matter of making useful approximations.
It is not an exact science.
But neither it is a blind application of rule of
thumbs. - Quoted by Mr Ravindra Deshmukh R & D, Mahindra & Mahindra