Types of Automotive suspension spring

In automotive suspension systems, the springs used are metallic springs and non-metallic springs.

1. Metallic springs Leaf springs Coil springs Torsion bar springs 2. Non-metallic springs Rubber springs Air springs

Leaf springs Leaf springs are made of a number of curved bands of spring steel, called leaves, stacked together in order from shortest to longest. This stack of leaves is fastened together at the center with a center bolt or a rivet and to keep the leaves from slipping out of place, they are held at several places with clips. Both ends of the longest (main) leaf are bent to form spring eyes, used to attach the spring to the frame or to a structural member such as a side member. Generally, the longer a leaf spring, the softer it will be. Also, the more leaves in a leaf spring, the greater the load they will withstand, but on the other hand, the spring will become firmer and riding comfort will suffer. Characteristics:

Since the springs themselves have adequate rigidity to hold the axle in the proper position, it is not necessary to use linkages for this. They function to control their own oscillation through inter-leaf friction. They have sufficient durability for heavy-duty use. Due to inter-leaf friction, it is difficult for them to absorb the minute vibrations from the road surface. Therefore leaf springs are generally used for large commercial vehicles which carry heavy loads and for which durability is highly regarded. The curvature of each leaf is called nip. Since the nip of a leaf is greater the shorter the leaf, each leaf curves more sharply than the one above it in the stack. When the center bolt is tightened, the leaves flatten somewhat, as shown in the illustration in the left, causing the ends of the leaves to press very tightly against one another. The overall curvature of the leaf spring is called camber. However, this friction also causes a decrease in riding comfort, since it prevents the spring from flexing easily. The purpose of nip:

When a spring is flexed, nip causes the leaves in the spring to rub together, and the friction created by this rubbing quickly damps the oscillations of the spring. This friction is called inter-leaf friction, and is one of the greatest features of the leaf spring. However, this friction also causes a decrease in riding comfort, since it

prevents the spring from flexing easily. Therefore, leaf springs are mainly used on commercial vehicles. When the spring rebounds, nip prevents gaps from occurring between each of the leaves, thus preventing dirt and sand, etc., from penetrating between the leaves and causing wear. Measure to reduce inter-leaf friction Silencer pads are inserted between each of the leaves at their ends to improve the sliding of the leaves against each other. Each of the leaves is also tapered at the ends so that they exert the proper amount of pressure when they come in contact with each other. Helper springs In trucks and many other vehicles which undergo great fluctuations in their loads, helper springs are used. The helper spring is installed above the main spring. When the load is light, only the main spring operates, but when the load exceeds a certain value, both the main and helper springs come into operation.

Coil springs Coil springs are made from rods of special spring steel formed into the shape of a coil. When a load is placed on a coil spring, the entire rod is twisted as the spring contracts. In this way, the energy of the external force is stored, and shock is cushioned. Characteristics:

The energy absorption rate per unit of weight is greater in comparison with leaf springs. Soft springs can be made. Since there is no inter-leaf friction as with leaf springs, there is no control of oscillation by the spring itself, so it is necessary to use shock absorbers along with them. Since there is no resistance to lateral forces, linkage mechanisms to support the axle (suspension arm, lateral control rod, etc.) are necessary Progressive spring If a coil spring is made from a rod of spring steel having a uniform diameter, the entire spring will flex uniformly in proportion to changes in the load. This means that if a soft spring is used, it will not be stiff enough to handle heavy loads, while if a hard spring is used, it will give a rough ride when only lightly loaded. However, if a rod having a constantly-changing diameter is used, as shown in the left, the ends of the spring will have a lower spring rate than the center. Consequently, under light loads, the ends of the spring will contract and absorb road shock. On the other hand, the center part of the spring will be stiff enough to handle heavy loads. Unequal-pitch spring, conical springs, etc. have the same effect.

Torsion Bars

Torsion bar is simply rod acting in torsion that takes shear stresses only. These are made of heat treated alloy spring steel. Torsion bar is fixed at one end to the frame of the vehicle. At one end, the torsion bar is fixed firmly in place to the chassis or frame of a vehicle where as other end is attached to the axle, suspension arm. The force produce due to the vehicle create the torque on the bar. Torsion bar spring is lighter as compared to leaf spring and it also occupies less space. Sometimes torsion tubes are used instead of bars, the former being stiffer than the latter ones. There are also two main disadvantages of torsion bar suspensions. The first is that it does not take the braking or driving thrust so that additional linkages have to be provided for that purpose. The second disadvantage is the absence of friction force, and hence of damping which is a necessity to control the vibrations produced due to road shocks.
Rubber Springs

Rubber is widely used as a damping material due to its high elastic properties. They provide good results when used in vehicles due to their following advantages: # It can store greater energy per unit weight than the steel. For this reason rubber springing system can be made more compact. # The rubber has excellent vibration damping properties. # The absence of squeaking which is always present in steel springs. # The number of bearings is reduced considerably for the rubber suspension system. This means longer life. # Rubber is more reliable. A rubber suspension cannot suddenly fail like the metal springs.

Hydraulic Spring (Shock Absorber)

A springing device must be a compromise between flexibility and stiffness. More rigid spring could not able to absorb shocks where as more flexible spring remain continue in vibration mode. So we must have sufficient damping of the spring to prevent flexing. Damping is created due to the friction between the leaves of a spring. In case of coil springs, the provision of damping is completely done by the shock absorbers.

The shock absorbers thus control the excessive spring vibrations. Shock absorbers are a mechanical device that absorbs or dampens shock and dissipate kinetic energy. They are basically of two types, Friction Type and Hydraulic Type. The friction type has become obsolete due to non-predictable damping characteristics. In hydraulic shock absorber fluid in a cylinder is forced by piston and thus resistance to the piston movement is developed that provides damping effect.

Steering Axis Inclination

The axis around which the wheel rotates as it turns to the right or left is called the steering axis. This axis is found by drawing an imaginary line between the top of the shock absorbers upper support bearing and the lower suspension arm ball joint (in the case of strut type suspensions). This line is tilted inward as viewed from the front of the car and is called steering axis inclination( S.A.I) or kingpin angle. This angle is measured in degrees. Furthermore, the distance L from the intersection of the steering axis with the ground to the intersection of the wheel centerline with the ground is called the offset, kingpin offset or scrub radius.

Roles of Steering Axis Inclination Reduction of steering effort Since the wheel turns to the right or left with the steering axis as its center and the offset as the radius, a large offset will generate a great moment around the steering axis due to the rolling resistance of the tire, thus increasing steering effort. This offset can be reduced in order to reduce the steering effort. Either of the following two methods can be used to make the offset small: (1) Give the tires positive camber. (2) Incline the steering axis. Reduction of kick-back and pulling to one side If the offset is excessively large, the force due to driving or braking generates a moment around the steering axis whose magnitude is proportional to the amount of offset. Also, any road shock applied to a wheel will cause the steering wheel to jerk or kick-back. These phenomena can be improved by reducing the amount of offset. If there is a difference between the left and right steering axis inclination angles, the vehicle will typically pull to the side of the smaller angle (having the larger offset). Improvement straight-line stability. The steering axis inclination causes the wheels to automatically return to the straight-ahead position after the completion of turning. HINT: In front engine, front-wheel-drive cars, the offset is generally kept small (zero or negative) to prevent the transmission to the steering wheel of shock from the tires generated during braking or by striking an obstruction, and to minimize the moment created around the steering axis by the driving force at the time of quick starting or acceleration. SERVICE HINT: If there is a difference between the steering angle on the left and right, there will also be a difference between the moments around the steering axis on the left and right during braking and the braking force will be greater on the side with the smaller steering angle. Also, any difference between the left and right offsets generates a difference

in the drive reaction force (torque steer) on the left and right. In either case, a force acts that attempts to turn the vehicle.

Caster and Caster Trail

Caster is the forward or backward tilt of the steering axis. Caster is measured in degrees from the steering axis to vertical as viewed from the side. Backward tilt from the vertical line is called positive caster, while forward tilt is called negative caster. The distance from the intersection of the steering axis centerline with the ground, to the center of the tire-to-road contact area is called caster trail. The caster angle affects the str aight-line stability and the caster trail affects the wheel recovery after cornering. SERVICE HINT: If the wheels are given excessive positive caster, the straight-line stability is improved, but cornering becomes difficult. Straight-line Stability and Wheel Recovery Straight-line stability due to caster angle When the steering axis rotates, during cornering, if the wheels have caster angle, the tires are inclined relative to the ground and jack-up torque is generated that attempts to lift the vehicle body as in the figure. This jack-up torque functions as a recovery force that attempts to return the vehicle body to the horizontal and maintains the straight-line stability of the vehicle. Wheel recovery due to caster trail If the wheels are given caster angle, the contact point of the line extending from the steering axis is forward of the center of tire-road contact. Therefore, since the tires are pulled from the forward direction, the force pulling the tires holds down the force attempting to destabilize the tires and maintains straight-line performance. Also, when the tires face sideways due to steering or disturbance during straight-line travel, side forces (F2 and F 2) are generated. These side forces act as rotation forces around the steering axis due to the caster trail and are forces attempting to return the tires to their original positions (recovery force). At this time, if the caster trail is long, for the same magnitude side force, a larger force works to return the steering wheel. Therefore, the longer the caster trail, the greater the straightline performance and recovery force. Nachlauf and Vorlauf Geometry In general, the caster angle must be increased in order to increase caster trail. However, even if the caster angle remains the same, the caster trail can be set as desired by offsetting the steering axis to the front or rear from the wheel center. Nachlauf geometry enables caster trail to be increased by offsetting the steering axis to the front from the wheel center. Vorlauf geometry enables caster trail to be decreased by offsetting the steering axis to the rear from the wheel center. In actual vehicles, various settings are made by Nachlauf and Vorlauf geometry in order to match vehicle characteristics.