What is the Role of a Suspension System in a Vehicle?

Picture yourself cruising down a winding road or navigating through a bustling cityscape. Ever wondered what keeps your ride smooth and steady, regardless of the terrain? Enter the unsung hero of vehicular dynamics – the suspension system. In this blog post, we'll delve into the crucial role played by suspension systems in vehicles, exploring how they enhance comfort, stability, and safety on the road.

A suspension system is one of the most important system of an automobile that deals with the dynamics of the vehicle. It is the intermediate flexible system that connects the wheels with the main frame of the vehicle, the suspension system is a combination of various components like knuckle or upright (that have important angles like king-pin, caster), Arms or linkages and shock absorber that comes together and enables the relative motion between the tyre and the mainframe.

A suspension system provides stability to the vehicle in dynamic conditions like high speed, sharp turns and braking.

One of the primary roles of a suspension system is to provide a smooth and comfortable ride for the occupants. It achieves this by absorbing and dampening the shocks and vibrations that occur when driving over uneven road surfaces, potholes, bumps, or other obstacles. By isolating the passengers from these disturbances, the suspension system enhances comfort and reduces fatigue during long drives.

Your Car’s Vehicle Suspension System: Making Sure It’s Working Properly

Before we dive into explaining what your suspension system does, as well as the technical suspension aspects that make the system function and operate, first, we will go through how to get the most out of your car’s vehicle suspension. That is to say, we will uncover how you can make sure your suspension system is working properly!

Of course, if you’re unsure how to check if your vehicle’s suspension is working properly yourself, you should engage the services of a reputable professional auto mechanic. If you have a 4WD vehicle in particular, an auto mechanic can assist you with 4×4 suspension installation. Of course, having a suspension system installed in a 4×4 or 4WD vehicle is central to this type of vehicle’s safe operation. If you want the safest and most comfortable drive possible, you’ll want to have a suspension system installed in your 4WD. But what does a car’s suspension system do? Just keep reading to discover more.

Why a Suspension System is Needed?

As we have discussed above that in dynamic conditions a vehicle faces many challenges like various forces acting on a vehicle while running over a road provided by the nature, so a suspension system is required because-

• There is a need of a flexible connection between the main frame and the wheels of the vehicle in dynamic condition that enables the relative motion between them without causing deformation to the main structure or any other components of the vehicle.
• A suspension system in a vehicle is needed to support the overall weight of the main frame that includes the weight of the all mounted components along with the passenger’s weight.
• A vehicle needs a suspension system to maintain firm contact between the tires and the road which in turn provides stability to the vehicle
• When a vehicle takes sharp turn there is the tendency of the frame to roll along its lateral axis which should be prevented in order to prevent the vehicle from rolling so a suspension system is needed in a vehicle that can prevent the vehicle from excess rolling.
• When the vehicle accelerates from its initial state and when the brakes are applied in both these conditions there is a tendency of the frame to roll along its longitudinal axis due to which the wheels of the vehicle try to lose contact with the road surface, so a suspension system is needed in a vehicle that can prevent the vehicle from excess rolling along its longitudinal axis.
• A suspension system works with the steering system in a vehicle to keep the vehicle in a correct alignment that provides stability to the running vehicle.
• The kingpin and caster angles provided in a knuckle or upright of the suspension system allow smooth side-to-side turning of front wheels for steering the vehicle.
• The shock absorbers used in the suspension system absorbs the shocks provided by the rough road conditions and makes the ride smooth for both passengers and luggage inside the cockpit.

Types of Suspensions Used

On the basis of the relative motion between both front and rear tyres, the suspension system is of 2 types-

1. Non-Independent or Dependent Suspensions:

A suspension system in which both the right and the left wheels of the front and the rear pair of wheels are connected with a solid axle in such a way that the upward motion  due to the bump in any one wheel of the front and the rear wheels pair causes slight lift in the other.

• De-dion tube solid axel etc. Types of  Suspensions are the examples of dependent suspension
• This type of suspensions are used in many old trucks in which the front and rear pairs of wheels are connected with a solid axle.

2. Independent Suspension:

A suspension system in which all four wheels of the vehicle are free i.e. there is no relative motion between the front and the rear pairs of the wheels which means all four wheels are connected independently with the frame and when a bump comes either in right or left side of the vehicle the wheel (either right side wheel or left side wheel)in contact with the bump moves upward without causing any lift in the other side wheel.

• Double wishbone, mac-pherson, etc. Types of suspensions are the examples of independent suspensions.
• The main advantage of using this type of suspension is that the surface contact between the road and either of the wheels is maintained throughout, which is the basic stability needed for the vehicle.

Working of Suspension Systems

Independent Suspension

To understand the working of the independent suspension let’s take the example of the formula cars suspension in which double wishbone with coil spring suspensions are used. 

Working

• When the left tyre of the formula car hits the road bump which in turn causes front left tyre to lift upward and as there is no connection between the right and the left or front and the rear tyres this upward movement is only restricted to the front left wheel.
• The shock produced due to this road bump is absorbed by the  compression type spring and dampers used in between the wheel’s knuckle and the main frame, this shock is absorbed directly or through push roads that transfer the shock from knuckle to the damper.
• The stiffness of the spring and dampers used in independent double wishbone suspension is responsible for maintaining the traction of the formula car’s wheel with the road.

Non- Independent or Dependent Suspension

• To understand the working of dependent type of suspension system let us take the example of a suspension system used in a truck in India i.e. solid axle or live axle having leaf springs.
• In trucks dependent type of suspension is use in which both the wheels of the rear and front pairs of wheels are connected with a solid axle such that the upward movement of one wheel causes slight lift in the other.

Working

• Let’s assume the bump is at the left tyre of the truck, this road bump faced by the left tyre of the truck tries to lift the left wheel of the truck.
• When this wheel lifts up due to the road bump the solid axle attached with it also lifts up and the force generated by the wheel due to its upward movement is transferred to corresponding right wheel (as they are both rigidly connected with the live axle) which in turn tries to lift it up slightly.
• The shock produced by the road bump is absorbed by the leaf springs used in between the axle and the main frame.
• When the truck faces a road shock, The leaf springs which are pre-stressed in a special fashion tries to regain its original shape i.e. straighten, which in turn absorbs the road shock.

   Conclusion 

Here we have studied How Suspension System Works, its main parts, working , types with video tutorials. I hope you have easily understood suspension system. If you found this piece of information useful and valuable then don’t forget to like and share it. In the intricate dance of automotive engineering, the suspension system stands as a testament to innovation and precision. From springs and dampers to control arms and sway bars, each component plays a crucial role in shaping your driving experience. By understanding the dynamics of suspension systems, drivers can better appreciate the technology behind their smooth rides and ensure the longevity of their vehicles for miles to come. So, the next time you hit the road, take a moment to thank your suspension system for its silent but indispensable contribution to your journey.

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