AT - Suspension System

Unit– 8
Suspension system
Understanding Suspension System
The vehicle’s chassis is connected to the front and rear

wheels by springs, shock absorbers, and axles. A Suspension
system refers to all parts that work together to protect parts from
shocks. Springs connect the automotive chassis to the axles in an
indirect manner. It is done to protect the body of the vehicle from
road shocks caused by bounce, pitch, roll, or sway. These road
shocks make for a bumpy ride and put additional strain on the
car’s frame and body.
What is a suspension system?

A suspension system is a set of mechanical connections, springs,
and dampers that connect the wheels to the chassis. It has traditionally
performed two functions: managing the vehicle’s handling and braking
for safety, and keeping passengers comfortable from bumps, vibrations,
and other factors. It is a mechanical system of springs or shock absorbers
connecting the wheels and axles to the chassis of a wheeled vehicle.
It also aids in maintaining proper vehicle height and alignment. It

also controls the vehicle’s orientation and must keep the steering wheel
perpendicular to the ground for maximum grip. The suspension also
helps to safeguard the car and its contents from damage and wear. The
front and rear suspensions of a car may be designed differently.
The suspension system of your car is in charge of smoothing out the

ride and keeping the vehicle in control. To offer steering stability and good
handling, the suspension system increases the friction between the tires
and the road.
Functions
A suspension system in an automobile serves the following functions:
 Shock forces are reduced as much as possible

 Maintain the proper ride height of your car
 Maintain proper alignment of the wheels
 Serve as weight support for the vehicle
 Maintain tire contact with the road
 Controls the vehicle’s travel direction.
 To eliminate transmission to car component road shocks.
 To maintain a solid grip on the road while driving, cornering, or braking.
 To maintain the correct steering geometry.
 To achieve a specific body structure and height.
 Torque and braking reflexes must be resisted.
 Maintaining vehicle stability while traveling over uneven terrain or turning in
order to reduce the tendency for rolling, pitching, or vertical movement.
 To protect passengers from road shocks and give a comfortable ride.
 To reduce the strains caused by road shocks on the motor vehicle’s
mechanism and offer a cushioning effect.
 While traveling over tough, uneven terrain, keep the body absolutely level.
The up and down movements of the wheels should be proportional to the
movement of the body.
 To protect the vehicle’s structure from stress loading and vibration caused by
road surface irregularities while maintaining its stability.
 To achieve the necessary height for body structure.
 To retain the right geometrical relationship between the body and the wheels,
the body must be supported on the axles.
Components of a suspension system
Suspension systems have the following components:
Knuckle or Upright:
It is the component of the suspension system that is installed over the
wheel’s hub and connects the wheels and the vehicle’s suspension through
the linkages provided. A knuckle is equipped with a king-pin and caster
angles that assist the vehicle’s front wheels in steering right or left, hence
steering the vehicle. The hub of the wheel revolves around the rotation of
the wheels, and the knuckle provides housing for the center bearing.
Linkages:
The rigid connections utilized in a suspension system to connect the
mainframe of the vehicle with the knuckle of the wheels using mechanical
fasteners are known as links. Wishbones or A-arm, Solid axle or live axle,
and Multiple links are the types of suspension that use linkages.
Shock absorbers or Springs:

They are the flexible mechanical components that are put between the
linkages (wishbone) to absorb the shock caused by the road condition. Solid
axle, multi-links) and the mainframe is designed to reduce road shock
before it reaches the vehicle’s mainframe. Out of the various types, spring
and damper shock absorber, leaf spring, and air spring are the common
types.
Components of a suspension system can be summarized as follows:
 The shocks from the road surface are neutralized by the use of springs.
 Dampers, also known as shock absorbers, are used to reduce the free
oscillation of springs and so increase riding comfort.
 The purpose of a stabilizer, also known as a sway bar or anti-roll
bar, is to keep the car from swaying to the side.
 The longitudinal and lateral movements of wheels are controlled by
a linkage system that holds the above components.
Unit– 9
Wheels and tyres
The wheels and tyres have to take the cushioning effect and the
vehicle load so that they can cope up with the steering control.
What is a Wheel?
A wheel is a circular object having a rim and a hub as the major parts
revolve around an axle to enable it to move easily over the ground.
Types of Wheels:
There are 5 types of wheels, those are as follows:
1. Pressed Steel Disc Wheel

2. Wire Wheel
3. Light Alloy Wheel
4. Divided Rims Wheel
5. Split Rims
What is Tyre?
A tyre is a cushion provided within the wheel of an automobile.
Functions of Tyre:
 To support the load of the vehicle.

 To transmit the braking and driving forces to the road.
 For smooth steering, cornering power is provided.
Properties of Tyre:
The properties of tyre are as follows.
Cushioning Effect:
The tyre should be in a position to absorb the vibrations set up by the

uneven road surface by providing cushioning effect to make the ride
smoother.
Non-skidding:
This is one of the important property of the tyre which makes the vehicle
not to skid even on the wet road and this can be possible by designing a
proper tread pattern on the tyre.
Load carrying ability:
When the vehicle is running on uneven or even roads, the tyres experience
alternating stresses during the each revolution of the wheel. The design
and the material of the tyre must be good enough to sustain the load
properly.
Uniform wear:
The non-skidding property is maintained by the uniform distribution of wear

on each wheel.To achieve this, the ribbed tread patterns will be used.
Parts of Tyre:
The parts of a tyre are as follows.
 Tire belts
 Tire Tread
 Tire sidewall
 Tire shoulder
 Tire grooves
 Tire bead
 Tire plies
Types of Tyre:
In general tyres are classified into two categories, those are:
1. Conventional Tubed Tyre

2. Tubeless Tyre
1. Conventional Tubed Tyre:
As the name indicates that it has a tube within the tyre and rim
assembly.
It generally consists of the following parts:
 Rim
 Tube
 Tyre
Rim:
It is the steel material which is used to hold the tube and the tyre on it
so that it can withstand the load of the vehicle. It has a hole on its
circumference to allow the tube valve through it.
Tube:
It is the material made of rubber and it consists of a valve which is

pressurized by means of air so that it can bulge according to the need and
can fit into the tyre properly.
It has the disadvantage that, whenever there is a puncture then the

air will be lost suddenly from the tube, tyre and the valve region also.
Tyre:
It is the material made up of rubber and acts as the major part of

automobile. The power from the engine is to be transmitted to the wheels
via axles such that the vehicle can move smoothly.
It consists of Treads separated by grooves on its circumference such

that they can act as a friction between the road and the tyre.
Working of Conventional Tubed Tyre:
 The tube is placed between the tyre and the rim properly such that
the valve of the tube can pass through the hole of the rim.
 Then the air is pressurized into the tube up to the desired value such
that it can run on the road properly.
 Make sure that the air in the tube is up to the desired value described
by the manufacturer. If the air is less, then the vehicle moves slowly.
 If the driver does not know about this, then he can apply the pressure
on the accelerator so that the vehicle can move fast which decreases
the fuel in the vehicle.
 So the air is to be filled up properly before driving it onto the road.
2. Tubeless Tyre:
As the name indicates that it does not have a tube within the tyre and
rim assembly as per the physical structure.
Tubeless Tyre
Tube is an integral part of the tyre as it is lined on inside with a

special air-retaining liner made up of halogenated butyl rubber-like
bromobutyl or chlorobutyl for better air impermeability with high heat and
weather resistance.
The purpose of the bead in the tyre is to stabilize the tyre and also
serve to maintain the air pressure within.
The valve cap is used to pressurise the air into the tyre so that the
vehicle moves faster.
Reduction in the air in tube or tubeless tyres reduce the mileage of

the vehicle because the system requires more effort to move the vehicle.
If the puncture happens during driving then the air loss will not takes
place suddenly compared with the tubed vehicles.
classifications of tyres based on Types of Carcass:
1. Bias Ply tyre

2. Belted Bias tyre
3. Radial Ply tyres
Bias Ply tyre:
 The construction of Bias Ply Tyre is one of the oldest type.

 Various plies are added one on the other and are dependent upon
the cross section of the tyre and the load that it can carries or holds.
 Due to this, the cushioning effect will be increased and there will be a
safer ride on rough roads too.
Belted Bias tyre:
 In order to increase the stiffness of the tread, Bias-Ply tyres are

loaded with belts and hence the name Belted Bias tyre.
 The belts can lay under the tread area only but not around the
sidewalls.
 In addition to the plies in the Bias-ply tyre, the belts and plies run
across each other in the Belted bias tyre.
 Due to this, there will be a smoother ride and good traction.
Radial Ply tyres:
 In Radial Ply tyres, the plies can run in radial direction i.e. in the
direction of the axis of the tyre.
 In a circumferential direction, a number of breaker strips can run on
the basic structure and without them, the radial plies will not have
lateral stability but having a soft ride.
Also if we consider grooves of tyre, then it classified as follows:
 Directional tyres
 Non-directional tyres
Directional Tyres:
The directional tyres are designed in such a way that they can be rolled
only in one direction.
Non-Directional Tyres:
The non-directional tyres are designed in such a way that they will perform
opposite to directional tyres i.e. they can rotate in either direction
regardless of the road directions with equal performance.
Now, let's see the main types of tyres as Conventional Tubed tyres and
Tubeless tyre and are as follws.
Advantages of Tubeless Tyres over Tubed Tyres:
The advantages of Tubeless Tyres over Tubed Tyres are as follows.
Better cooling for increase in tyre life:
As in the case of a tubeless tyre, heat will be passed out to the atmosphere
very easily because there is no tube within the tyre whereas, in the case of
tubed tyres, heat in the compressed air has to pass through the tube
(rubber) material which is not a good conductor of heat. Thereby the life of
the Tubeless tyres is more compared with the Tubed tyres.
Lesser rolling resistance:
Due to the presence of tube in tubed tyres, the friction is more between the
tyre, tube and rim whereas, in the case of tubeless tyres, there is less
rolling resistance because of the absence of tube within the tyre.
Comfortable ride:
In the case of tubeless tyres, the vibrations and shocks will be absorbed at
the level of tyre only. Thus it makes the ride more comfortable.
Leakage of air:
In the case of a tubed tyre, when there is a puncture then the air will be lost
suddenly from the tube resulting in the unbalance of the vehicle. Whereas,
the inner liner in the tubeless tyres is not stretched like a tube and retains
the air which results in the slower leakage.
Simpler assembly:
As there is no danger of the tyre puncture or tyre burst takes place in the
tubeless tyres and Just the tyre has to be fitted on the rim.
Defects in Tyres:
The defects in tyres are as folows.
 Tread seperation
 Bead failure
 sidewall failures
 continuous punctures on the same spot.
 manufacturing defects
 belt and tread seperation
 During mounting process, the tyre may be damaged

AT - Suspension System

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

AT - Suspension System

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

AT - Suspension System

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Unit– 8

Understanding Suspension System

The vehicle’s chassis is connected to the front and rear

What is a suspension system?

It also aids in maintaining proper vehicle height and alignment. It

The suspension system of your car is in charge of smoothing out the

 Shock forces are reduced as much as possible

Shock absorbers or Springs:

Components of a suspension system can be summarized as follows:

There are 5 types of wheels, those are as follows:

1. Pressed Steel Disc Wheel

A tyre is a cushion provided within the wheel of an automobile.

 To support the load of the vehicle.

The properties of tyre are as follows.

The tyre should be in a position to absorb the vibrations set up by the

Load carrying ability:

The non-skidding property is maintained by the uniform distribution of wear

The parts of a tyre are as follows.

In general tyres are classified into two categories, those are:

1. Conventional Tubed Tyre

1. Conventional Tubed Tyre:

It generally consists of the following parts:

It is the material made of rubber and it consists of a valve which is

It has the disadvantage that, whenever there is a puncture then the

It is the material made up of rubber and acts as the major part of

It consists of Treads separated by grooves on its circumference such

Working of Conventional Tubed Tyre:

Tube is an integral part of the tyre as it is lined on inside with a

Reduction in the air in tube or tubeless tyres reduce the mileage of

classifications of tyres based on Types of Carcass:

1. Bias Ply tyre

Bias Ply tyre:

 The construction of Bias Ply Tyre is one of the oldest type.

Belted Bias tyre:

 In order to increase the stiffness of the tread, Bias-Ply tyres are

Radial Ply tyres:

Also if we consider grooves of tyre, then it classified as follows:

Advantages of Tubeless Tyres over Tubed Tyres:

The advantages of Tubeless Tyres over Tubed Tyres are as follows.

Better cooling for increase in tyre life:

Lesser rolling resistance:

The defects in tyres are as folows.

You might also like