Vol. 02, Iss. 1 (2024) 28-34, DOI: 10.61552/JME.2024.01.

003

Journal of Materials and

Engineering
www.jme.aspur.rs

Static Structural Analysis of Suspension System

Tarini Ranjan Pradhana,*, Dani Aniket Sunilb, Aman Shrivastavac

aDepartment of Mechanical Engineering, BITS Pilani – Hyderabad Campus, Hyderabad 500078, India

Keywords: ABSTRACT
Suspension system
Coil spring suspension systems are widely used in various applications,
Force dissipation
including automotive, industrial, and aerospace engineering. The
Meshing analysis
spring, bearing, piston rod, seal block, rebound adjuster, and hydraulic
Ansys workbench
oil make up the suspension system. The suspension system's main
purposes include increasing the amount of contact time between the
* Corresponding author: tyres and the road. It supports the vehicle's weight evenly and offers
stable steering and good handling. The principle of force dissipation,
Tarini Ranjan Pradhan which involves converting force into heat and thereby eliminating the
E-mail: tarinivicky123@gmail.com impact that force would have made, underlies how a suspension
operates. The energy will be stored by a spring and transformed into
Received: 12 September 2023 heat by a damper. By applying a theoretical method to determine the
Revised: 18 October 2023 deflection of coil spring suspension system in this paper. Here mainly
Accepted: 15 November 2023 focus on the basic coil spring model which is the main part of
suspension system. It also aids in the bike and rider's ability to absorb
significant shocks when executing jumps. For designing of coil spring
suspension system 3D software Solid works is used. For analysis of the
model ANSYS workbench is implemented. Using standard theoretical
data, analytical & simulation results are compared & mesh
convergence graph study is also done in this paper.
© 2024 Journal of Materials and Engineering

1. INTRODUCTION irregularities. A good suspension system

should have a minimal amount of deflection
When riding on unpaved surfaces, shocks are upon application of load, be inexpensive, light
absorbed mechanically by a suspension system in weight, require little in the way of operating
or shock absorber. Shock absorbers are used in or maintenance expenses, and operate with the
vehicles to improve ride comfort. Rides without least amount of tyre wear possible.
shock absorbers are bouncy. The vehicle will
vibrate at a frequency equal to that of rough A motorcycle wheel can move independently
terrain [1]. The main purpose of a two-wheeler from the chassis due to a coil spring. The
suspension system is to cushion the rider and spring's movement is governed and managed
vehicle body from shocks caused by road by a hydraulic damper setup. The main purpose

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of motorcycle suspension is to shield the rider suspension springs made of two materials.
and chassis from the imperfections of the road. Chrome The traditional steel helical spring
The vibration caused by potholes, bumps, made of 60Si2MnA steel, which is a new
corners, and acceleration or deceleration forces material compared to vanadium, is shown to be
can be reduced with an effective suspension the best material for helical springs by a
system. In contrast, when a motorbike decrease in diversion and by high pressure [5].
encounters a bump in the road, its tyres would Different suspension and steering systems
lose traction. Additionally, the suspension serve a dual purpose by helping the vehicle
system offers both the rider and passenger a hold, handle, and brake for good active safety
comfortable riding experience [2]. and driving enjoyment and by keeping
passengers in the vehicle comfortable and
Newton's laws of motion state that every force reasonably well isolated from road noise,
has a magnitude and a direction. The wheel bumps, and vibrations, etc [6, 7].
oscillates up and down perpendicular to the
road when there is a bump in the road. Of N. Lavanya looked into the ideal design and
course, the size will differ depending on analysis of a suspension spring for a car that
whether the wheel is hitting a huge bump or a was put through a static helical spring analysis.
small speck. In either case, the car wheel The study demonstrates how spring behaviour
accelerates vertically as it crosses an will be observed under recommended or
imperfection. Without a supporting structure, anticipated loads, and it also improves helical
the frame receives all of the vertical energy spring cyclic exhaustion. Low carbon basic steel
from the wheel and moves in the same has lower initiated pressure and strain values
direction. The wheels may completely lose than chrome vanadium material [8, 9].
contact with the ground in this scenario [3].
The wheels may then crash back into the road Composite helical springs with a hollow
due to gravity's downward force. The purpose circular section were created by Gobbi and
of a car's suspension is to increase the amount Mastinue. The method allows defining the
of contact between the tyres and the road, spring geometrical and mechanical parameters
provide good handling and steering stability, in order to get the best compromise between
and ensure the comfort of the passengers. spring performances (minimum mass,
Spring-based safeguards regularly use loop maximum strength), with constraints on local
springs or leaf springs; however, suspension and global stability and on resonance
bars can be utilized in tensional stuns also. frequency. In their study, the technical
Perfect springs alone, be that as it may, are not specifications, such as stiffness, maximum
safeguards as springs just store and don't deflection, were provided [10].
scatter or retain vitality. Vehicles normally
utilize springs and suspension bars just as A helical spring suspension system's main parts
pressure driven safeguards. In this blend, are as follows:
"safeguard" is held explicitly for the water  Coil Springs: The suspension system's
driven cylinder that ingests and disperses primary components are the coil springs.
vibration [4]. They are typically helical in shape and made
of steel. The coil springs store and release
The failure of a freight locomotive's helical energy when they are compressed or
spring was caused by redesigning it to increase extended, giving the suspension system the
durability and ride index. The composite support and flexibility, it needs.
suspension system can support loads under
normal operating conditions and maintain ride  Suspension Struts/Shock Absorbers: Helical
index, but the failure happens during cornering spring suspensions frequently include
and hunting speeds. To prevent this, the study suspension struts or shock absorbers in
addition to coil springs. These parts reduce
of a composite spring's dynamic behaviour is
oscillations and stop excessive bouncing or
examined. For the static analysis of the primary
rebounding, which aids in controlling the
suspension system, they used Pro/E to model
suspension system's motion. They enhance
helical springs and ANSYS to analyse primary
the vehicle's control, stability, and handling.

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 Control Arms: Helicoidal spring suspensions

frequently use control arms, also referred to
as A-arms, to join the suspension parts to the
chassis. They give the coil springs the
necessary points of attachment, enabling
them to move and articulate as the
suspension moves.
 Stabilizer Bars: Helicopter suspensions with
helical springs sometimes include stabilizer
bars, also known as sway bars. By
transferring forces between the wheels,
these bars, which join the left and right sides
of the suspension system, assist in reducing
body roll while cornering. Fig. 1. 3D view of suspension system.

The following are some benefits of helical spring 2. MATERIAL SELECTION AND INPUT
suspensions: PARAMETERS
 Improved Handling: Helical spring Nomenclature of the symbols:
suspensions improve handling and stability,
enabling better maneuverability and  D = Mean coil diameter
control, by controlling suspension  Di = Inside diameter
movement and maintaining tyre contact
with the road surface.  Do= Outside diameter

 Comfortable Ride: The coil springs  d = Wire Diameter

effectively absorb and dampen road   = Deflection
vibrations, giving the passengers of the
vehicle a smoother and more comfortable  N= Number of coils
ride.  G = Shear modulus of elasticity (Structural steel)
 Helical springs are strong and have a long   = Angle of twist
service life, making them durable. They are
capable of supporting heavy loads and are  Mt = Torsional moment
dependable for the duration of the vehicle's  J= Moment of inertia
life.
 W= Load
 Cost-Effectiveness: Helical spring
Deflection:
suspensions are generally more affordable
to manufacture and maintain than other 8 𝑊 𝑁 𝐷3
δ=
suspension types, making them a popular 𝐺 𝑑4
option for a variety of vehicles.
2.1. Analytical solution for deflection
In this paper by taking the theoretical values
Table.1. Values & symbols of analytical solutions.
the analytic solution calculated. Then the model
is prepared by using solid works. For Serial No Symbol Value
simulation of the model Ansys Workbench is 1 W 1000 N
used. The mesh size is placed an important role 2 D 50 mm
in the simulation. Here tetrahedral meshing is 3 N 10
𝑁
used with the mesh size varying 5 mm to 2.5 4 G 76900
𝑚𝑚2
mm. Reduction in mesh size is giving more 5 d 10 mm
accurate results to the analytical value. Then
mesh converging study is performed in it. The material properties used for calculations are
structural steel.

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8 𝑊 𝑁 𝐷3 4. MESHING
δ= 𝐺 𝑑4
8∗1000∗10∗503
δ= 76900∗104
1010
δ = 76900∗104
δ = 13 mm (Analytical solution value)

Fig.6. Meshing of suspension systems.

3. GEOMETRY & CONNECTIONS
In a FEA, meshing is the process of breaking up a
3.1. Suspension model continuous domain into more manageable
discrete elements in an effort to simulate the
behaviour of the system under study. The goal of
meshing is to discretize the governing equations
into a set of algebraic equations that can be
solved numerically while also representing the
geometry and material characteristics of the
structure or component under study. Meshing is
a crucial step in the FEA procedure because it has
Fig.2. Geometry of suspension systems. a direct impact on the analysis's accuracy and
effectiveness. The mesh's quality, which includes
3.2. Connections the element's type, size, and shape, is a key factor
in determining how accurate the results are.

The following are some crucial FEA meshing

components:
 Element types: Tetrahedra, hexahedra,
triangles, quadrilaterals, and other element
types are frequently supported by FEA
software. The choice of element type is
Fig.3. Connections of suspension systems. influenced by the geometry and kind of
analysis being done. Every element type has
unique benefits and restrictions.
 Element size: The accuracy and computational
effectiveness of the analysis are impacted by
the size of the mesh's elements. Although they
cost more to compute, smaller elements give a
more accurate representation of the
geometry. Larger elements are less expensive
Fig.4. Connections of suspension systems. to compute, but accuracy may suffer. To strike
a balance between accuracy and
computational efficiency, the element size
should be chosen carefully.
 Element shape: The mesh's elements should
ideally have the same shape as the geometry
being studied. Errors in the analysis can be
introduced by irregular or distorted elements.
To ensure that the mesh has good element shape
Fig.5. Connections of suspension systems. quality, take precautions to avoid using highly
distorted or extremely small-angle elements.

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 Mesh density: The quantity of elements used being done, these can be point loads,
to discretize the geometry is referred to as the distributed loads, pressure loads, or thermal
mesh density. It may be necessary to use a loads. The load of 1000N is acting from down
denser mesh to accurately capture the side to compress the suspension.
behaviour in certain areas of interest, such as
 Symmetry Conditions: When only a portion of
those with high stress gradients or regions
a symmetric structure is being examined,
where significant deformation is anticipated.
symmetry boundary conditions are used. It is
A coarser mesh can be used to cut down on
assumed that the symmetry planes or axes
computation costs in less crucial areas.
have no rotation or displacement. By only
 Mesh generation techniques: Mesh generation analyzing a portion of the entire structure, it
can be done in a number of ways, including helps to reduce the computational effort.
with structured or unstructured meshing.
Unstructured meshing allows for greater
element placement flexibility while structured
meshing involves dividing the domain into a
regular grid of elements. In order to generate
meshes based on the input geometry,
automatic mesh generation algorithms are
frequently used in FEA software.
 Mesh refinement: Local mesh refinement Fig. 7. Deflection of meshing size 5 mm.
might be necessary in some circumstances to
accurately capture particular features or
phenomena. When certain criteria, such as
gradients in stress, displacement, or error
estimates are present in an area of interest,
adaptive meshing techniques can be used to
automatically refine the mesh in that area.
Fig. 8. Deflection of meshing size 2.5 mm.
In this model hexahedral meshing is
implemented on the spring & tetrahedral
meshing is used for other connection parts. In
6. RESULTS & DISCUSSIONS
general, if oval or critical shape models are there,
then tetrahedral & hexahedral meshing both are Table.2. Shows Deflection values of both ansys &
carried out. The size of the meshing is varying analytical solutions.
from 5 mm to 2.5 mm.
Serial Element Displacement Displacement
No size (Ansys solution (Analytic solution
(mm) in mm) in mm)
5. ANSYS DEFLECTION ANALYSIS USING
1 5 11.579 13
BOUNDARY CONDITIONS
2 4 12.105 13
3 3 12.632 13
The boundary conditions for the simulations are:
4 2.8 12.842 13
 Fixed Support: This boundary condition 5 2.5 12.947 13
forbids translation and rotation at a particular
point or region in all directions. It is modelled When the size of a mesh is reduced, the vertices,
by fully fixed constraints, so rotation and edges, or faces that make up the mesh typically
displacement are not permitted. The fixed get smaller as a result. This leads to an increase in
support in this simulation is the upper part of resolution, enabling the mesh to represent details
the suspension. more precisely. For instance, reducing the size of
 Applied Loads: Static structural analysis a mesh in computer graphics can produce
necessitates applying loads to the structure in smoother surfaces or intricate geometric shapes.
addition to the aforementioned boundary A mesh's size can be reduced while still having an
conditions. Depending on the specific analysis impact on how much computing power is needed

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to render or process the mesh. Because there are 8. CONCLUSION

more of the smaller elements to process, more
memory and processing power may be needed. The analytical solution is correct and takes into
This may have an impact on simulations, real- account all the important variables, the results
time applications, or any other system that needs from Ansys are fairly close to it. In this instance,
to effectively manage mesh data. the analytical solution can be regarded as
From the above table.2, the reduction in meshing trustworthy and provide a quicker and more
size, the more accurate value is obtained from affordable solution for problems of a similar
Ansys solutions. This value is converging more nature. Although analytical solutions can still
towards the analytical solution if the size of the offer insightful information for simpler issues
meshing is reduced. or serve as a jumping off point for more
thorough simulations, Ansys is generally
regarded as a more reliable and versatile tool
7. CONVERGING GRAPH for complex engineering analyses. The size of
the mesh & the quality of meshing plays a
crucial role in this project. The outcomes of
both the solutions are giving the exact
deformation of the suspension system with the
same boundary conditions. The mesh
convergence graph shows the exact result
where the ansys solution is converging toward
the analytical solution. The reduction in mesh
size is a time-consuming process for getting the
output solutions. Up to certain limit of
reduction in mesh size is possible in Ansys
workbench student version.

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