Design and Analysis of Composite Structures for Automotive Applications

6Dynamics of a Vehicle with Rigid Structural Elements of Chassis

6.1 Classification of Wheel Suspensions

6.1.1 Common Designs of Suspensions

A chassis consists of several systems that perform different tasks in the entire chassis design (Pauwelussen 2015; Reimpell et al. 2001; Reimpell and Betzler 1986; Leiter et al. 2008). The structure of a chassis and thus the selection of individual systems are strongly dependent on the vehicle class in which the chassis is to be used and the drive concept of the motor vehicle used. The requirements placed on a chassis are always very similar; only the weighting of the criteria differs depending on the vehicle class under consideration. The most important requirements for a chassis can be summarized in the upper grips, driving dynamics, safety and comfort and are to be fulfilled considering the boundary conditions of low weight and low cost. For common axles there are three different suspension concepts, which can be seen in Figure 6.1.

Figure 6.1 Basic types of suspension.

Independent wheel suspensions represent a technically complex and expensive concept of a wheel suspension and are therefore mainly used in vehicles of the middle and upper class or in sports cars. Semi‐rigid axle suspensions are designed to be less complex, consist of fewer components and are therefore less expensive to manufacture and install than independent wheel suspensions. ...