Topics for report:

1. Suspension structure.

2. Rear suspension-dependent (linked ) systems. Leaf-spring.

3. Coil- spring.

4. Linear Electromagnetic Suspension.

Text 6 b. Types of Suspensions (gallery)

I. Rear Suspension - Dependent (Linked) Systems

- What is the drawback concerning the ride and comfort?

(ответis the lack of lateral location for the axle)

1. Solid-Axle, Leaf-Spring

This system was simple and cheap to build. The ride quality is decidedly questionable though. The drive axle is clamped to the leaf springs and the shock absorbers normally bolt directly to the axle. The ends of the leaf springs are attached directly to the chassis, as are the tops of the shock absorbers. The main drawback with this arrangement is the lack of lateral location for the axle, meaning it has a lot of side-to-side slop in it.

2. Solid-Axle, Coil-Spring

What changes have been introduced into this suspension design?

This is a variation and update on the system described above. The basic idea is the same, but the leaf springs have been removed in favour of separate coil springs and shock absorbers. As the result the axle now needs to have lateral support from a pair control arms. The front ends of these are attached to the chassis, the rear ends to the axle. This in turn allows the system to fit in a smaller area under the car.

Notes:

leaf-spring – листоваярессора

coil-spring- спиральнаяпружина

driveaxle – ведущий мост

solidaxle- неразрезной мост

II. Rear Suspension - Independent Systems

1. MacPherson Strut

- What makes the design of this suspension simple?

This is currently, without doubt, the most widely used front suspension system in cars of European origin. It is simplicity itself. The system basically comprises of a strut-type spring and shock absorber combo, which pivots on a ball joint on the single, lower arm. At the top end there is a needle roller bearing on some more sophisticated systems. The strut itself is the load-bearing member in this assembly, with the spring and shock absorber merely performing their duty as oppose to actually holding the car up. 

Notes:

needle roller bearing - игольчатый роликоподшипник

III.Double Wishbone Suspension Systems.

1. Coil Spring Type 1

- What negative effect is produced by this suspension on tyres?

This is a type of double-A or double wishbone suspension. The wheel spindles are supported by an upper and lower 'A' shaped arm. In this type, the lower arm carries most of the load. This is a very parallelogram system that allows the spindles to travel vertically up and down. There are two other types of motion of the wheel relative to the body when the suspension articulates. The first and most important is a toe angle (steer angle). The second and least important is the camber angle, or lean angle. Steer and camber are the ones which wear tyres.

Notes:

double wishbone suspension -двухрычажная подвеска

camber angle - уголразвалаколеса

2. Coil Spring Type 2

- What makes this type of suspension different from the previous one?

This is also a type of double-A arm suspension although the lower arm in these systems can sometimes be replaced with a single solid arm.The only real difference between this and the previous system mentioned above is that the spring/shock combo is moved from between the arms to above the upper arm. This transfers the load-bearing capability of the suspension almost entirely to the upper arm and the spring mounts. The lower arm in this instance becomes a control arm. This particular type of system isn't so popular in cars as it takes up a lot room.

Notes:

suspension arm - рычагподвески

3. Multi-Link Suspension

- What changes have been introduced into this type of suspension?

This is the latest double wishbone system described above. It's currently being used in the Audi A8 and A4 amongst other cars. The basic principle of it is the same, but instead of solid upper and lower wishbones, each 'arm' of the wishbone is a separate item. These are joined at the top and bottom of the spindle thus forming the wishbone shape. Car manufacturers claim that this system gives even better road-holding properties, because all the various joints make the suspension almost infinitely adjustable. There are a lot of variations on this theme appearing at the moment, with huge differences in the numbers and complexities of joints, numbers of arms, positioning of the parts etc. but they are all fundamentally the same. Note that in this system the spring (red) is separate from the shock absorber (yellow).

Notes:

spindle- ось, втулка