AUTOMOBILE ENGINEERING

CO 4 Suspension system, purpose and characteristics, rigid axle suspension system, and
torsion bar.

Lecture 1: Unit IV: Suspension systems, Purpose and characteristics,

Rigid axle and torsion bar

1. INTRODUCTION:
The automobile frame and body are mounted on the front and rear axle not directly but
through some form of springs and shock absorbers. This 'is done to damp to road shocks
transmitted to the frame by the wheels as they roll over the road. All these parts which
perform this function are collectively called a suspension system. Thus the suspension
system includes springs, shock absorbers and their mountings. The suspension system of a
motor vehicle is divided into the rear end suspension and front end suspension.

2. FUNCTIONS OF SUSPENSION SYSTEM:

1. To prevent the road shocks from being transmitted to the vehicle frame.
2. To preserve the stability of the vehicle in pitching or rolling, while in motion.
3. To safeguard the occupants from road shocks.
4. To provide good road holding while driving, cornering and braking.
5. To maintain proper steering geometry.

3. REQUIMENTS OF A SUSPENSION SYSTEM

1. Minimum deflection consistent with required stability.
2. Comparability with other vehicle components - type, frame, wheel base, steering Mech.
3. Minimum wheel hop. 4. Low maintenance and operating costs
5. Low initial cost. 6. Minimum weight. 7. Minimum tyre wear.

4. FRONT END SUSPENSION

The front end suspension is more complicated than the rear end suspension, because the front
wheels not only move up and down with aspect to the car flame, but also swing at various
angles to the car frame for steering. In order to permit the front wheels to swing to one side or
the other for steering, each wheel is supported on a spindle which is part of a steering
knuckle. The steering knuckle is then supported through ball joints, by upper and lower
control arms which an attached to the car flame.
The front end suspensions may be of two types:
1. Rigid axle front suspension. 2. Independent front suspension.

5. ADVANTAGES OFINDEPENDENTFRONT SUSPENSION

1 The independent front suspension provides more space for engine accommodation.
2. It enables front springs to be arranged for enough apart to promote under steer
conditions, which is preferable to over steer.
 3. It may provide softer suspension, because the low spring rate enables large wheel
movement.
4. On beam axles, spring deflection affects the caster angle, especially when braking
or accelerating, causing the axle to twist between the stub axle and the spring seats.
Thus eject on the steering geometry is overcome with independent front suspension.
5. The unsprung weight is low. The weight of the chassis and body to relative to that
of the wheels and axle is known as the unsprung weight. If the unsprung weight is
heavy, the chassis/body combination has high inertia or resistance to change of state,
and the wheels stand to move rather than the chassis/body.
6. The independent front suspension reduces the tendency of this rotating wheels to
turn about the kingpins due to gyroscopic action, causing wheel wobble or shimmy.
7. It also induces the tendency of tilting the vehicle to one side when the wheel is
lifted or drop due to the road variations.

6. Rigid Axle Front Suspension

Figure 2, shows a typical rigid axle front wheel suspension. This type of suspension
was universally used before the introduction of independent front wheel suspension. It
may use either two longitudinal leaf spring, or on transverse spring, usually in
conjunction with shock absorbers. These assemblies are mounted similarly to rear leaf
spring suspensions. In this type of suspension, the front wheel hubs rotate on anti-
friction bearings on steering spindles which are attached to the steering knuckles. To
permit the wheels to be turned by the steering gear, the steering spindle and steering
knuckle assemblies are hinged on the axle ends. The pin that forms the pivot of this
hinge is usually referred to as the king pin or steering knuckle pin. When the forked
portion is integral with the steering knuckle and fits over the end of the axle, the
construction is known as reverse Elliot. In Elliot type of construction, the ends of the
axle are forked to hold the steering knuckle extension between the ends.

Figure 1: Rigid Axle Front Suspension

7. INDEPENDENT FRONT SUSPENSION

In the independent Type of front suspension, each front wheel is independently
supported by a coil, torsion bar or leaf spring. Almost all passenger cars now use the
independent front suspension, in which the coil spring arrangement is most common
There are three types of coil spring front suspension:
1. In the first type, the coil spring is located between the upper and lower control
arms. The lower control arm has one point attachment to the car flame.(Figure 3).

Figure 2: Coil Spring Front Suspension System I

2. In the second type, the coil spring is located between the upper and lower
control arms. The lower control arms has two points to attachment to the car frame
Figure 4.

Figure 4: Coil Spring Front Suspension System II

3. In the third type, the coil spring is between the upper control arm and spring tower
or housing that is part of the front-end sheet-metal work. (Fig. 5).
 Figure 5: Coil Spring Front Suspension System III

Other types of front suspension, besides coil spring type, are also in use. The twin l-beam
construction is another type, used on some models of Ford trucks. Each front wheel is
supported at the end by a separate l-beam. The ends of the l-beams are attached to the frame
by pivots. The wheel ends of the two l-beams an attached to the frame by radius arms, which
prevent backward or forward movement of the wheels. This type of suspension provides
more flexibility.

Figure 6: Twin l-beam front suspension using coil springs

The independent front end suspension uses torsion bar, a steel rod, known as a torsion bar,
acts as a spring to hold the upper and lower control arms parallel under load. The front end of
the rod is of hexagonal shape to fit tightly into an opening in the lower control arm. Its rear
end is also of the hexagonal shape to fit tightly into an opening in an =anchor attachment to
the frame cross member. The torsion bar get twisted due to the forces on the wheel assembly
outer end of the lower control arm.
The torsion bar is designed to balance these forces so that the lower arm is kept at a
designated height. The height can be adjusted by a tightening mechanism at the anchor end
which twists the rod by means of an adjusting bolt and swivel, as shown in Fig. 9. A strut rod
is used to keep the suspension in alignment. This type of suspension is able to cushion road
shocks by causing the lower arm to twist the torsion bar. When the wheels are no larger under
Stress, the arm returns to normal.

Figure 9: Torsion Bar suspension, rear anchor and adjusting mechanism

Figure 10, shows the simplified diagrams of the independent front suspensions using coil,
torsion bar and leaf spring. Basically, the system is known as parallelogram type independent
front suspension. It consists of an upper and lower link connected by the stub axle carrier. In
general, the lower link is larger than the upper and they may not be parallel. This arrangement
maintains the tack width as the wheels rise and fall and so minimize tyre wear caused by the
wheel scrubbing sideways.

Figure 10: Parallelogram Independent front Suspension

In sliding type suspension system, thee stub axle can move up and down as well as rotate in
the frame members. Track, wheel attitude and wheel base remain unchanged throughout the
rise and fall of the wheel.
In vertical guide suspension system, the king pin is attached directly to the cross member of
the frame. It can slide up and down, thus compressing and expanding the springs
8. TORQUE ROD
The torque rod is used to maintain correct alignment of the axle with the frame. It also serves
to remove all the stresses on the springs. One end of the toque rod is rigidly fixed to the axle
or axle housing, and the other end is attached to the frame by means of a pivoted mounting.
The torque rod is also known as torque arm.

Figure 14: Sliding type Figure 15: Vertical Guide Suspension

Independent Suspension
System

9. STABILIZER
A stabilizer, or a sway bar, is necessarily used in all independent front end suspension. It
reduces the tendency of the vehicle to roll or tip on either side when taking a turn. This
tendency has been increased due to the use of softer springs and independent front end
suspension. A stabilizer is simply a bar of alloy steel with arms at each end connected to the
lower wish bone of the independent suspension or axle. It is supported in bush bearings fixed
to the frame, and is parallel to the cross member.

When both the wheels deflect up or down by the same amount, the stabilizer bar simply turns
in the bearings. When only one wheel deflects, then only one end of the stabilizer moves,
thus twisting the stabilizer bar which acts as a spring between the two sides of the
independent suspension. In this way, the stabilizer reduces beeline or tipping of the vehicle
on curves.

Figure 16: Stabilizer

Figure 17: Typical Stabilizer with Independent front Suspension.

Figure 18: Independent front Suspension.