Design of suspension system for FSAE vehicle

Abstract

In automobile industry it is essential to produce the Compact and reliable Suspension system in order to increase the vehicle performance. Also, lot of forces during cornering, acceleration and bump conditions are also applied directly during dynamic condition. The primary function of the damper on the vehicle is to damp the sprung and unsprung masses at their resonant frequencies. A secondary function is to control the rate of weight transfer during transients such as braking, corner entry and acceleration. Over damping or under damping increases the variation of tire force to the track, reducing tire adhesion or grip. Thus, Dampers are a key part of the suspension tuning tools. Unlike springs and anti-roll bars that generate force with displacement, dampers generate force with velocity. This gives them two unique properties that are highly useful. 1) They control the rate of weight transfer by the springs and anti-roll bars, and 2) They work like dynamic springs. When controlling the rate of weight transfer the dampers are timing devices, delivering or removing load at the right time in the corner to maximize the grip of the tires. As dynamic springs, the dampers momentarily work like springs, exerting force based on velocity instead of displacement. With these properties the dampers are very influential to the handling characteristics of the vehicle during transitions.