How car suspension works?

The roads are filled with irregularities and uneven surface. Vehicle moving over such terrain thus experiences vibrations due to the force transmitted because of the uneven surface. The vibrations in the vehicle arising due to road irregularities are absorbed by the suspension system. 

For a Double Wishbone system the force gets transmitted from the wheels to the Knuckle then to the lower a arm and finally to the shock absorber where it gets damped out. Thus, the suspension system helps to provide a smooth and comfortable ride to the passengers.




When a vehicle hits a bump in the road it causes the wheel to move up and down perpendicular to the road surface. The magnitude, of course, depends on whether the wheel is striking a giant bump or a tiny speck. Either way, the car wheel experiences a vertical acceleration as it passes over an imperfection. Without an intervening structure, all of wheel's vertical energy is transferred to the frame. In such a situation, the wheels can lose contact with the road completely. Also when the wheel strikes back, it again generates some forces which may lead the wheel to lose contact with the ground. Thus, what is needed is a system that will absorb the shocks arising due to unevenness of road and maintaining the contact with the ground under such condition. This is done by suspension system.
Basically suspension system is defined by two words, Ride and handling.
·         Ride means the ability of car to smooth out a bumpy road and
·         Handling means ability of car to safely accelerate, brake

The basic principle of a suspension system is discussed in the following table:

Principle
Definition 
Road Isolation
The vehicle's ability to absorb or isolate road shock from the passenger compartment
Road Holding
The degree to which a car maintains contact with the road surface in various types of directional changes and in a straight line (Example: The weight of a car will shift from the rear tires to the front tires during braking. Because the nose of the car dips toward the road, this type of motion is known as "dive." The opposite effect -- "squat" -- occurs during acceleration, which shifts the weight of the car from the front tires to the back.)
Cornering
The ability of a vehicle to travel a curved path


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