Suspension System of an Automobile

Suspension System

Suspension system is the basically the term given to the system of springs, shock absorbers and linkages that connects a vehicle to its wheels and supports the vehicle. This is done to isolate the vehicle body from road shocks that maybe in the form of bounce, pitch and roll and caused due to the bumps, potholes and other road irregularities.Whenever  Tyre of the vehicle hits an obstruction on the road it experiences a reaction force and the suspension system tries to reduce this force. In short, all the parts and components that isolates the vehicle from road shocks are collectively known as suspension system.

The main objective of the suspension system is as followed below:
  •  It supports the weight of the vehicle
  •   Provides a smoother ride for passengers
  •   Protects the vehicle from damage
  •  Keeps the wheels firmly pressed to the ground for better traction
  •  It isolates the vehicle from road shocks and vibrations

Main Components of a suspension system:
  • Wheels and tyres
  • Springs
  • Dampers
  • Linkages
  • Pushrod
  • Rockers
  • Bearings
  • Uprights

       Basic concepts:

  • Sprung Weight: The weight of the vehicle which is supported by the  springs of the suspension system is called sprung weight and it is much larger than the unsprung weight as it supports all the major components of the vehicle.
  • Unsprung Weight: The unsprung weight of the vehicle is the weight which is not supported by the springs of the suspension system and generally includes wheels, tyres, linkages, hubs, uprights and other unsprung components.

Types of Suspension System:

There are basically two categories of Suspension System based on which there are so many subcategories and they are followed:
  1. Dependent Suspension System.
  2. Independent Suspension System.

Dependent Suspension System: 

Dependent Suspension System is the system in which there is one solid rigid axle for the two parallel wheels and whenever there is any bump or irregularity on one side of a tyre on road then it will affect both the tyres i.e the movement of both the tyres of a same axle are dependent on each other. 
It is the oldest type of suspension system and is used usually in trucks and other heavy duty vehicles, it is obsolete in normal cars nowadays.
Some of the most common types of Dependent Suspension systems are:
  1. Hotchkiss Drive Suspension System
  2. Leaf Spring type
  3. Four Link Suspensions.

Independent Suspension System:

It is the type of Suspension system in which all the four the wheels of the axle have independent  vertical up and down movement and whenever there is a bump or any uneven surface then the wheels does not effect other wheels, these types of systems provide better ride quality, comfort and tyre traction on the roads also they require less space and steer effort respectively making the more suitable choice for companies to incorporate it.
Some of the most common types of independent suspension systems are:
  1. Double Wishbone Suspension System
  2. McPherson Strut Suspension System 
  3. Trailing Link Suspension
  4. Multi-link Suspension
  5. Semi Trailing Arm
  6. Swing Axle suspension















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