Suspension control systems

Suspension functions
• To isolate a car body from road disturbances
in order to provide good ride quality
• To keep good road holding
• To provide good handling
• To support the vehicle static weight
 Car Suspension Parts

The suspension of a car is actually part of the chassis, which

comprises all of the important systems located beneath the car's
body
 Car Suspension as a Part of Chassis
System
• The frame - structural, load-carrying component that
supports the car's engine and body, which are in turn
supported by the suspension
• The suspension system - setup that supports weight,
absorbs and dampens shock and helps maintain tire
contact
• The steering system - mechanism that enables the
driver to guide and direct the vehicle
• The tires and wheels - components that make vehicle
motion possible by way of grip and/or friction with
the road
 Coil and Leaf Springs
Coil springs - This is the most common type of spring
and is, in essence, a heavy-duty torsion bar coiled
around an axis. Coil springs compress and expand to
absorb the motion of the wheels.

Leaf springs - This type of spring consists of several

layers of metal (called "leaves") bound together to
act as a single unit.

Most four wheel drive vehicles and trucks have coil springs rigged both at the front
and rear-end as opposed to passenger cars having a combination of both coil
spring and leaf springs attached to the front and rear-end respectively. The reason
why manufacturers install the leaf at the rear-end is that most people put the load
behind. Coil springs are there to give you that total riding experience by
eliminating if not minimizing the feel of the bumps while the leaf spring’s main
concern is to carry weights.
 Torsion Bars

Torsion bars use the twisting properties of a steel bar to provide coil-spring-like
performance. This is how they work: One end of a bar is anchored to the
vehicle frame. The other end is attached to a wishbone, which acts like a lever
that moves perpendicular to the torsion bar. When the wheel hits a bump,
vertical motion is transferred to the wishbone and then, through the levering
action, to the torsion bar. The torsion bar then twists along its axis to provide
the spring force. European carmakers used this system extensively, as did
Packard and Chrysler in the United States, through the 1950s and 1960s.
 Air springs

Air springs, which consist of a cylindrical chamber of air positioned between the
wheel and the car's body, use the compressive qualities of air to absorb wheel
vibrations. The concept is actually more than a century old and could be found
on horse-drawn buggies. Air springs from this era were made from air-filled,
leather diaphragms, much like a bellows; they were replaced with molded-
rubber air springs in the 1930s.
Suspension Technology @ Benz
 Sprung and Unsprung Mass
• Based on where springs are located on a car (i.e., between the
wheels and the frame) engineers often find it convenient to
talk about the sprung mass and the unsprung mass.
• The sprung mass is the mass of the vehicle supported on the
springs while The unsprung mass is loosely defined as the mass
between the road and the suspension springs. The stiffness of
the springs affects how the sprung mass responds while the car
is being driven.
• Loosely sprung cars, such as luxury cars can swallow bumps and
provide a super-smooth ride; however, such a car is prone to
dive and squat during braking and acceleration and tends to
experience body sway or roll during cornering.
• Tightly sprung cars, such as sports cars are less forgiving on
bumpy roads, but they minimize body motion well, which
means they can be driven aggressively, even around corners.
 Typical Car Suspension System

Front-wheel-drive car with MacPherson-strut front suspension and strut-type

independent rear suspension
Most automotive vehicles have independent front suspension, usually using coil
springs as part of either a short-arm long-arm or a MacPherson-strut suspension
system. A MacPherson-strut suspension combines a coil spring and shock
absorber into a strut assembly that requires only a beam-type lower control arm.
 Ride Quality
• Ride quality in general can be quantified by the
vertical acceleration of the passenger
locations.
• The presence of a well-designed suspension
provides isolation by reducing the vibratory
forces transmitted from the axle to the vehicle
body. This in turns reduces vehicle body
acceleration.
• In the case of the quarter car suspension,
sprung mass acceleration, can be used to
quantify ride quality.
Full car automotive suspension model
 Full car Model
• The vehicle body is represented by the "sprung mass“
m while the mass due to the axles and tires are
represented by the c b unsprung" masses mul, mu2, mu3
and mu4
• The springs and dampers between the sprung and
unsprung mass represent the vehicle suspension. The
vertical stiffness of each of the 4 tires are represented
by the springs ktl , kt2, kt3 and kt4.
• The seven degrees of freedom of the full car model are
the heave z, pitch θ and roll ø of the vehicle body and
the vertical motions of each of the four unsprung
masses. The variables zr1 , zr2 , zr3 and Zr4, are the road
profile inputs that excite the system
 Half car automotive suspension model

A "half car" model has four

degrees of freedom. In the
half car model, the pitch and
heave motions of the vehicle
body (θ and z ) and the
vertical translation of the
front and rear axles ( zul and
zu2 ) are represented.
 Quarter-car active automotive
suspension
A two degree of freedom "quarter-car"
automotive suspension system represents the
automotive system at each wheel i.e. the
motion of the axle and of the vehicle body at
any one of the four wheels of the vehicle. The
suspension itself is shown to consist of a
spring ks, a damper bs, and an active force
actuator Fa. The active force Fa can be set to
zero in a passive suspension. The sprung
mass ms, represents the quartercar equivalent
of the vehicle body mass. The unsprung mass
mu represents the equivalent mass due to the
axle and tire. The vertical stiffness of the tire is
represented by the spring kt. The variables zs,
zu and zr represent the vertical displacements
from static equilibrium of the sprung mass,
unsprung mass and the road respectively
 Dependent and independent
suspensions
• In the case of dependent suspensions, the axle
cannot be represented by two independent
unsprung masses. In the case of dependent
suspensions, the vertical motions of one wheel of
an axle are directly linked to that of the other
wheel of that axle.
• In an independent suspension, the vertical motions
of the two wheels are not directly linked to each
other. This was the implicit assumption in the full,
half and quarter-car models introduced
 Solid-axle leaf-spring rear suspension

Figure shows a solid-axle leaf-spring dependent rear suspension system. The

advantages of such a suspension are that it is simple and inexpensive. The
drive axle is clamped to the leaf springs. The shock absorbers are also
attached to the clamps. The ends of the leaf springs are attached directly to
the chassis (vehicle body), as are the shock absorbers. Since the axle couples
both the rear wheels, the vertical motion of one is transferred to the other.
 Double-A arm independent suspension
The wheel spindle is supported by an
upper and lower 'A' shaped arm. The A
shaped arms constitute a basic lever
system that allows the wheel spindle to
travel vertically up and down, independent
of the other wheel. When the wheel
moves vertically, it will also have a slight
side-to-side motion caused by the arc
which the levers scribe around their pivot
point. This side-to-side motion is known as
scrub. Unless the links are infinitely long
the scrub motion is always present. The
springs and shocks in this figure are in a
so called 'coil over oil' arrangement
whereby the shock absorbers sit inside
the springs. This type of suspension is
also commonly referred to as a "double
wishbone" suspension as the A shaped
arms resemble a wishbone
 MacPherson strut rear suspension

Lancia Delta rear suspension - with this An alternative arrangement - Ford

arrangement, the springs occupy space Escort rear suspension
above the wheels, which in any case is
normally wasted so far as capacity for
luggage in the boot is concerned
 Introduction
h = excitation, z = Vibration amplitude, c = spring
rigidity, k = damping factor, m = mass
Subscripts: 1. Tires and axle 2. Body

Ride comfort is largely determined by the degree of

body oscillations.
Root mean square of the vehicle body acceleration
=
Root mean square of the vehicle axle oscillations
=
Driving safety is determined by wheel-load fluctuations.
Root mean square of the dynamic wheel load
fluctuation = Fdyn/h
Wheel-load fluctuation
= sum of mass accelerations, Fdyn = m2+ m1
 Frequency Relationship of the
Motion Variables

Fdyn = Amplitude of the dynamic wheel-

load fluctuation, z2 = Amplitude of the
body acceleration
h = excitation amplitude, 1 = Natural
frequency of the body, 2 = Natural
frequency of the axles
Air suspension level control system
(partially loaded system)
1. Air connection 2. Steel Spring, 3. Auxiliary air
spring, 4. Gas Volume, 5. Shock absorber

Use of soft springs result in long spring travel. In

order to maintain the vehicle body height at an
acceptable level, auxiliary air springs or hydro-
pneumatic springs are employed.

The suspension element is provided by the volume

of the gas while vehicle level is mechanically
monitored from suspension parts. Valves are used
to control the input and output air or hydraulic fluid
to/from the suspension element. The system can
also incorporate intermediate electronic level
control units acting on solenoid valves.
 Hydro-pneumatic level control
(partially loaded system)
1. Fluid supply 2. Steel Spring, 3. Accumulator, 4. Gas
Volume, 5. Rubber diaphragm 6. Fluid, 7. Hose, 8.
Shock absorber

Advantages of the electronic systems:

Reduced energy consumption is achieved by
providing control cycles on braking, accelerating and
cornering
Speed dependent lowering of the vehicle body to
save fuel
Raising the vehicle body ride height on poor road
surfaces
Enhanced cornering stability achieved by laterally
blocking the suspension element on a given axle.
 Level Control system (Fully loaded
suspension systems)
a) Open system b) Closed
system. 1) Filter 2) Compressor
3) Drier 4) Directional control
valve 5) Spring bellows 6) Non-
return valve 7) Pressure vessel 8)
Pressure switch 9)3/2 directional
control valve

The cushioning effect is produced by the gas suspension element alone. This
dispenses with coil springs. Either a single axle or both the axles of the vehicle
can be controlled. If all axles are controlled, the system must include an ECU to
define the control strategy. The control strategy comprises e.g. changing
influence on the axles to prevent a slanting vehicle body, monitoring of control
timing, detection of system errors.
 Open and Closed Systems
• Open System: The compressor draws air from the atmosphere,
compresses it and supplies to the air springs. If the ride level
drops, the compressed air is blown off to the atmosphere.
– Advantages: Relatively simple design and control.
– Disadvantages: High compressor output required for brief periods of
active control; an air drier is required; noise occurs during air intake and
blow-off
• Closed System: The compressor draws air from a pressure
accumulator (which at most has a minimum required bellows
pressure) of the suspension system, compresses it further and
supplies it to the sir spring. If the ride height drops, it returns
the compressed air to the accumulator.
– Advantages: Low compressor output, virtually no problems with air
humidity.
– Disadvantages: Relatively complicated design (accumulator, pressure
switch, non-return valve)
 Active Suspension
Active suspension systems control both the springing and the damping
functions. Various types of design have been implemented

a) Hydraulic suspension b) Hydro-pneumatic suspension c) Air Suspension

1. Vehicle body 8. Accelerometer sensor

2. Wheel-load sensor 9. Damper
3. Travel sensor 10. Valve
4. Accumulator 11. Pressure tank
5. Pumping circuit 12. Compressor
6. Servo valve 13. Solenoid valve
7. Actuating cylinder
 Active Suspension Systems
• Active suspension was developed in the Grand Prix world. It is
now slowly becoming more popular on production vehicles. It
is interesting to note that just as some Formula 1 teams
perfected it, the rules changed (1993–94) to prevent its use!
• Conventional suspension systems are always a compromise
between soft springs for comfort and harder springing for
better cornering ability.
• A suspension system has to fulfill four main functions.
– Absorb bumps.
– Manage nose dive when braking.
– Prevent roll when cornering.
– Control body movement.
• Some functions have to be compromised in order to fulfill
others to a greater extent.
 Operation
• Active suspension allows the best of both
worlds.
• Achieved by replacing the conventional springs
with double-acting hydraulic units.
• Controlled by an ECU, which receives signals
from various sensors.
• Oil pressure in excess of 150 bar is supplied to
the hydraulic units from a pump. A servo valve
controls the oil, which is arguably the most
critical component.
 Main Benefits of Active Suspension
• Improvements in ride comfort, handling and safety.
• Predictable control of the vehicle under different
conditions.
• No change in handling between laden and unladen
• Useful in applications where the loads carried vary
widely, such as buses, delivery vans and trucks, vehicles
that are required to travel fast across very rough
terrain, and ambulances which may have to transport
seriously ill patients smoothly at high speeds.
• Useful also for racing cars and vehicles for which very
small or constant ground clearances are advantageous.
 Sensors, actuators and system
operation
To control the hydraulic units to
the best advantage, the ECU
needs to ‘know’ certain
information. This is determined
from sensor readings from
various parts of the vehicle. A
number of sensors are used to
provide information to the
suspension ECU.

Sensors used to provide information to suspension ECU and general

layout of an active suspension system
 Sensors Used
• Load sensor - A load cell used to determine whether actual
load is positioned on each hydraulic ram.
• Displacement and vertical acceleration - This sensor can take a
number of forms, as simple as a variable resistor or a more
accurate and sensitive linear sensor such as the LVDT
• Lateral and longitudinal acceleration - Acceleration can be
determined from a pendulum type sensor using strain gauges
linked to a mass, or devices similar to an engine knock sensor.
• Yaw transducer - Yaw can be determined from lateral
acceleration if the sensor is mounted at the front or rear of
the vehicle.
 Sensors Used…
• Steering position - As well as steering position, rate of
change of position is determined from a rotary position
sensor. This device can be a light beam and detector type or
similar. If the rate of change of steering position is beyond a
threshold the system will switch to a harder suspension
setting.
• Vehicle speed - The speed of the vehicle is taken from a
standard type sensor as used for operating the speedometer.
• Throttle position - Similar to the existing throttle
potentiometers. This gives data on the driver’s intention to
accelerate or decelerate allowing the suspension to switch to
a harder setting when appropriate.
 Driver mode selection & Operation
• A switch is provided allowing the driver to choose soft or hard
settings. Even if the soft setting is selected, the system will switch
to hard, under certain operational conditions.
• Layout of the suspension system shows a simplified view of the
hydraulic unit, a hydraulic ram and can have oil under very high
pressure fed to the upper or lower chamber
• As a wheel meets a bump in the road there is increased upward
acceleration and vertical load.
• This information is fed to the ECU, which calculates the ideal
wheel displacement.
• A control signal is now sent to the servo valve(s), which control
the position of the main hydraulic units. As this process can occur
hundreds of times per second, the wheel can follow the contour of
the road surface. This cushions the vehicle body from unwanted
forces.
 Passive and Active Suspension
• Conventional suspension systems, comprising spring, damper
and resilient tyre, can be termed passive suspension system as
they are self-contained and react automatically to the loads
applied to them at the road surface
• An active suspension system, on the other hand, is one in
which the reactions to the applied loads are positively
supplied by automatically controlled powered actuators,
usually hydraulic with electronic controls.
• A fully active suspension is one in which there is no spring at
all and the wheel deflections are controlled entirely by the
actuators.
• Semi-active suspensions are those in which a conventional
spring and damper system is used but its reactions are
supplemented by a control system.
 Schematic diagram of the Volvo
Computer Suspension
A major advantage of such a
system is that changes to the
performance characteristics of
its different components, which
of course may effect those of
others, can be made simply by
changing the program on the
computer, and the overall effect
assessed immediately without
having to modify a vehicle and
take it on to the test track

1 Front actuator 7 Yaw gyro

2 Accumulator 8 Longitudinal and lateral accelerometer
3 Control panel 9 Rear actuator
4 Hydraulic pump 10 Hub accelerometer
5 Steer angle transducer 11 Computer
6 Oil reservoir 12 Servo valve
Hydraulic pipeline Transducer signal Control signal
 Semi-Active Suspension System
With gas springs, the AP suspension system
is of the semi-active type. As with a fully
active suspension system, it has the
advantage of a soft ride coupled with high roll
stiffness. Unlike such a system, though, it
does not allow the car to sink on its
suspension when the engine is stopped.
There are three gas springs, one for the rear
axle and one each for the two front wheels.
 A single AP suspension module
The pendulus offset mass is on
one end of a bell-crank lever, the
other end of which actuates the
spool valve. The connection
between the first-mentioned arm
and the suspension arm is a link
in which is incorporated a small
coil spring and damper unit

An increase in the static load on the vehicle causes the lever actuating the spool-
type control valve, on the right in the illustration, to be deflected upwards about its
pivot. This of course is provided the relative movement between suspension arm
and body is slow, so that the coil spring and damper in the linkage between the
suspension arm and the lever are not compressed. The consequent upward
deflection of the lever pulls the spool valve to the left causing it to direct hydraulic
fluid into the hydraulically damped gas spring, thus extending it until the ride
height returns to what it was before.
 Hydraulic arm actuated by steering gear
The hydraulic arm is
actuated by the steering
gear, which moves it to
displace fluid in either
direction through the
damper unit, according to
which way the vehicle is
steered

A double-acting ram, actuated by the steering mechanism, transfers hydraulic

fluid from one side to the other of the vehicle through the dampers in the links
between the suspension arms and the levers actuating the spool valve. It does
this in a direction such as to lift the lever on the outer and lower that on the inner
side of the turn.