The suspension system is a crucial component in a vehicle responsible for connecting the chassis, axles, and wheels. Its primary functions are to transmit forces and torques between the wheels and the chassis, and to absorb impacts from uneven road surfaces, thereby ensuring the vehicle's ride stability.
A typical suspension system structure includes components such as elastic elements, guiding mechanisms, and shock absorbers, while some structures also include bump stops and anti-roll bars. Elastic elements come in various forms, such as leaf springs, air springs, coil springs, and torsion bar springs. Passenger car suspension systems commonly use coil springs and torsion bar springs, while luxury cars often utilize air springs.
Although a passenger car suspension system may appear simple from the outside, consisting of a few rods, cylinders, and springs, it is actually a quite complex system because it needs to simultaneously satisfy the conflicting requirements of comfort and handling stability. To improve comfort, springs need to be designed to be softer, but this can lead to issues such as vehicle nose dive during braking and rear squat during acceleration, thereby affecting the car's handling stability.
