Suspension Design

Procedure

The following is the algorithm for suspension

designing to be followed in given order
I Decide type of suspension system
II Decide best possible set of tires and wheels
III Estimate basic dimensions wheelbase,
trackwidth(s), cog height

IV Set static values for suspension parameters.

V Model the geometry to ensure

minimum plausible change in
parameters
VI Design and validate suspension
components

TYPE
We take Double wishbone here.
However you need to choose
yours

TIRE & WHEEL SELECTION

Sometimes you are bound by competition rules to use
a particular set of tires/wheels
However, if not then you need to decide the optimum
set of tires and wheels
One method to do this is using the wheel decision
matrix
Ref to research paper illustrating decision matrix

ASSUMPTIONS AND ESTIMATES

Wheel base is defined as the distance between the front and
rear axle centerlines.
A longer wheelbase provides a greater straight line stability,
whereas a shorter wheelbase ensures better maneuverability.
Longitudinal load transfer is inversely proportional to the
wheelbase.
Front and rear track width are assumed, it is an important
factor that resists overturning.
Lateral load transfer is inversely proportional to trackwidth.

The maximum height of the center of gravity of the

car is calculated, assuming that the car passes
the tilt test, which involves tilting the car at an
angle of 60 on a platform.
The total weight of the car, weight distribution and
values of sprung and unsprung mass are
calculated.

Design Parameters
The following parameters are to be kept in mind
while beginning suspension design:
Caster
Camber
Toe
Kingpin Inclination
Motion Ratio
Roll center height
Bump steer

Shark Model

Camber: Negative camber is used in static conditions so

that during roll, when the tire tilts outwards the tire
contact patch is maximized providing greater lateral
force and thus a better grip.
Caster: Positive Caster generates negative camber on the
outside tire when the wheel is steered and positive
camber on the outside tire. During cornering to maintain
a suitable tire contact patch a slight negative camber is
required and hence a positive caster is used.
Toe: Toe-in results in increased straight-line stability, while
toe-out quickens the transitional behavior. Toe on the
front tires is not a major contributing factor, but the rear
tires are generally incorporated with a toe-in so as to
reduce their tendency to go loose during cornering and
hence maintain the rear stability.

Kingpin inclination: It is the angle made by

the steering axis with the vertical in front or
rear view. The prime motive of providing a kingpin inclination is to reduce the scrub radius, i.e.,
the king-pin offset at ground. Scrub radius is
required to be minimized to reduce steering
effort.

Motion ratio: It is defined as the ratio of wheel

travel: spring travel. Generally a rising rate is
preferred for increasing stiffness with travel.
Roll Center: The point of intersection of the roll
axis with the vertical plane through the wheel
centres is called the roll centre. The roll center
height is kept low to avoid jacking, i.e., lifting
of the inner rear wheel during cornering.

KINEMATIC ANALYSIS

Roll Centre migration

Graphs for various parameters

Front camber in bump

Rear camber in bump

Front toe in bump

Rear toe in bump

Front spring travel

Rear spring travel

Roll Simulation
Front camber in roll

Rear camber in roll

Design and Analysis

After the suspension geometry was simulated
and optimized, the 3D locations of all ends,
mounts and components are forwarded to
the CAD department and 3D models are
created and analyzed.

FORCE
ANALYSIS

FORCE CALCULATIONS
The worst case scenarios of the
following cases were considered:
Cornering
Braking
Acceleration
Braking + Cornering
Acceleration

The first step is to ascertain the positions of the

points at which forces would act under static and
dynamics conditions.
These include the upper and lower ball joints; the
wishbone and rocker ends of the pushrod and the
front and rear pivots of the two a-arms.
The coordinates can be read directly from the
shark model wherein
X axis lies along the wheelbase;
Y axis is along the track width;
Z axis is the vertical axis.

Next, we make necessary assumptions

about the approximate values of
track-width;
wheelbase and
position of centre of gravity.
The weight distribution about the front and
rear axles is then calculated.

LOAD TRANSFER
Whenever external forces act on the
tires, transfer of load takes place
depending upon the direction and
magnitude of forces. This is because
the centre of gravity is above the
ground and net moments have to be
balanced at all points.

LATERAL LOAD TRANSFER

During cornering, load transfer takes
place from the inside pair of wheels to
the outer wheels. This is termed as
lateral load transfer.
Thus, the outer tires are subjected to
maximum lateral force.

LATERAL LOAD TRANSFER

LONGITUDINAL LOAD TRANSFER

While braking or accelerating, load shifts
from the rear to front (braking) or vice
versa (acceleration) due to inertia forces.
This is termed as longitudinal load
transfer.
Thus, the front tires are experience
greater braking force while the rear tires
are loaded under acceleration.

LONGITUDINAL LOAD TRANSFER

GENERAL APPROACH
To find forces, we first determine
lateral and/or longitudinal load
transfer. We then select the
wheel(s) which are subjected to
maximum loads to find limiting
forces.

There are two primary conditions

that need to be satisfied for
making steady turns/braking and
acceleration:
The net force along a
particular direction must be zero.

The net moments about any

point must be zero.

All forces originate at the tire

contact patches; be it braking,
cornering or acceleration. We then
navigate upwards to balance forces
and moments and thus find the
forces acting on the different
suspension
components
like
uprights, a-arms and pushrods.

CORNERING
During cornering, lateral load transfer
takes place from the inner to outer
tires. Hence, it is sufficient to consider
the forces on the outer tires only; as
these are subjected to greater forces.

 We start by taking coordinates from the

front view of the suspension system (front).
Next, we assume a critical value of
cornering acceleration (say 1.4g)
Lateral load transfer is calculated and is
added to half the static load to get the
vertical forces acting on the outer tire.
The load on the outer tire is multiplied by
this factor (1.4g) to get the maximum
cornering force.

Uprights
Only the upper and lower ball joints
are considered. The forces on the
ball joints can be determined by
solving two linear equations: one to
balance the cornering force and the
other to ensure zero turning moment
in the front view.

FORCES ON UPRIGHTS (ie BALL JOINTS)

Wishbone and Pushrod

In this case, the forces acting along the aarms and pushrod (ie tension and
compression) have to be determined.
A procedure similar to the one used for
uprights is used, except that there are three
linear equations:
Forces in y-direction
Vertical forces
Turning moments

WISHBONE FORCES
We have used a push-rod as opposed to the pull-rod shown above

Braking and Acceleration

During braking, longitudinal load transfer
takes place from the rear to front tires.
Hence, it is sufficient to consider the forces
on the
front tires only; as these are
subjected to greater forces. During
acceleration, load is transferred onto the rear
axle and hence only the rear suspension
needs to be analyzed.

 We start by taking coordinates from the side

view of the suspension system (front).
Next, we assume a critical value of
braking/acceleration (say 1.4g/ 1g)
Longitudinal load transfer is calculated and
is added to the static load on the particular
axle. This is divided by 2 to get the
maximum load on a tire.
The load on the this tire is multiplied by this
factor (1.4g) to get the value of maximum
force.

During braking/acceleration, the uprights

are stressed to a great extent. Hence,
only the upper and lower ball joints are
considered. The forces on the ball joints
can be determined by solving two linear
equations from the point coordinates in
the side view:
one to balance the cornering force and;
the other to ensure zero turning moment
in the side view.

BRAKING AND CORNERING:

It is possible to have simultaneous braking and
turning. However, the cornering and braking
acceleration will not be at their maximum values. A
value of g can be considered for both cases.
Forces are determined in the same way as
discussed earlier by taking cornering and braking
separately; and then the forces due to the two are
added vectorially to get the resultant force

Once maximum forces have been

found out, they can be used to
decide the thickness of the aarms, pushrod etc and the type
and quality of bearings (spherical,
rod-ends etc) to be used.

EXAMPLE
(for a Formula SAE car)

WHEEL ASSEMBLY
After the finalization of suspension
geometry and completion of force
calculations, we proceed to 3D design of
the wheel assembly components.

DESIGN OF HUB
- Keep in mind the p.c.d of wheel
- Choose appropriately sized hub
bearings (roller / taper roller bearings)
- Since the brake discs are also
supposed to be mounted on the hub,
you need to decide your discs before
designing hub
- Knowing all this, you may design your
hub

UPRIGHT
Upright can be made of various materials
and even various shapes/techniques
- Machined from Al block
- Made using metal tubes
- Mage using metal sheets

The a-arms/wishbones are attached to the upright.

The hub is fitted inside the central bore of the upright
with a roller bearing between the two surfaces to
facilitate the rotation of hub. The axle (on the rear) is
then fitted with the hub through the upright.

Once you have decided the type to be

employed
Next you start with the shape based on
following decisions:- Decide the bearings to be fitted on the
a-arm side
- Steering mounts for the front
- Toe rod for the rear
- Brake Calliper mounts

Mild Steel pipes

Bearings!
- Very crucial component
- Need to be finalised after careful
consideration
What options do you have?
-

Rod end bearings

Spherical bearings
Simple pivots (with bushings)
Ball joints
Ref to Aurora Catalog

You may decide the bearings

But one major question while doing it
is, where to use which bearing?
For this you primarily need to
consider the loads that bearing has to
withstand.
Apart from this you obviously have to
consider the motions required from
bearing.

A-arms
You have a different configurations w.r.t the
angle between the front and rear links of an
a-arm
- An isosceles configuration
- A 90 deg configuration
- Or any angle depending on your
justification