For people that drive their cars every day, a car’s suspension is not something that should be ignored or scoffed at. It stops unwanted jerks and shudders in a car while driving over rough terrain and over the long term prevents more serious ailments such as permanent and serious back injuries. Even though the suspension makes up a very important part of any car, it is often overlooked or sometimes forgotten altogether. This post will go into great detail about how Automobile or Car Suspension works and the way different suspension types work in general as well as the benefits of shock absorbers. So keep reading to find out more about how this part of a car works.
Simply stated, it is the part of a car that negates the majority of the force that an automobile is subjected to when driving on roads while ensuring that the cabin remains still. Most people think that the role of the suspension in a car just involves cushioning when driving over cracks, holes, or bumps. Yet the suspension does a lot more. In fact, its main role is to make a car easier or smoother to drive. By now you may be wondering what other things a suspension does?
The Role Of A Suspension
Suspension in an automobile makes sure the cabin stays comfortable, making sure the car remains in direct contact with the road. It also ensures that the driver maintains control over all the tires at every point which is made possible by ensuring the car stays in contact with the ground or road.
How Does It Do This?
This may take a bit of time to understand since it is important to first understand the 3 factors that help achieve this. These include Control, Contact, and Comfort.
How Does The Suspension In A Car Provide Comfort?
Here we will discuss how the suspension in a car provides the driver with comfort by talking about how the suspension in an automobile actually works. This will also assist with explaining how the other 2 factors work.
The Working Process Of A Suspension
The suspension works on a principle known as force dissipation. This involves the conversion of “force” into “heat”, which removes the “impact” that the force may have made. It uses dampers, struts, and springs to accomplish this. The spring retains energy, while the damper converts the energy into heat. Below we display how these parts perform these steps.
- The Spring Stores Energy
The role of the spring within suspension systems is to retain energy generated when a car drives over a bump or crack. The coil or spring retains energy when it compresses in size, which turns any force type into energy. The energy amount that a spring or coil is able to hold will depend on various factors. Not limited to, but including the material and the length of a spring, along with the coefficient of the spring. The material is important in certain springs since some can retain more energy. If the material is non-durable, the spring may fail.
The two spring types used in suspension systems include the leaf spring or the coil spring. Coil springs are the most common type, while leaf springs are typically used on solid axles, mainly found in trucks. The leaf spring has a much higher energy-storing capacity when compared to coil springs.
