TABLE OF CONTENTS The suspension of a vehicle is present to prevent the variations in the road surface encountered by the wheels from being transmitted to the vehicle body. There are two main categories of suspension systems: independent and non-independent. An independent type has each wheel moving up and down without affecting the wheel on the opposite side of the vehicle. On non-independent systems movement of one wheel will affect the wheel on the opposite side of the vehicle. A typical system consists of:
a wheel and pneumatic tyre;
a spring and damper unit together with arms and links that attach the wheel or axle to the vehicle.
Many different types are used on light vehicles.
The unsprung weight (mass) is the weight of components that are situated between the suspension springs and the road surface. Unsprung weight has an undesirable effect on vehicle handling and ride comfort and suspension systems are designed to keep it to a minimum.
Leaf springs of the type shown in Fig. 6.1(a) are manufactured from a number of leaves (layers) of steel strip. The use of multiple leaves ensures that the bending and shearing strength of the spring is uniform along the span of the spring from the spring eye to the point where the spring is attached to the axle. At each end of the main leaf is a circular hole (eye) which is used to attach the spring to the vehicle frame. As the...
