ABSTRACT
The automotive industry uses different kinds of wheel/axle suspension systems. Important criteria are costs, space requirements, kinematic properties, and compliance attributes. The main purposes of a vehicle suspension system are
• Carry the car and its weight, • Maintain correct wheel alignment, • Control the vehicle’s direction of travel,
and
Vehicle suspension systems consist of
• Guiding elements: – Control arms, links – Struts – Leaf springs
• Force elements: – Coil spring, torsion bar, air spring, leaf spring – Anti-roll bar, anti-sway bar or stabilizer – Damper – Bushings, hydro-mounts
• Tires From a modeling point of view, force elements may be separated into static and dynamic systems. Examples and modeling aspects will be discussed in Chapter 6. Tires are some kind of air springs that support the total weight of the vehicle. The spring action of the tire is very important to the ride quality and safe handling of the vehicle. In addition, the tire must provide the forces and torque that keep the vehicle on track. The tire was already discussed in detail in Chapter 3.
