Vehicle Suspension Hub Carrier and Trailing Link Design
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current vehicle suspension systems face a compromise between ride comfort and handling, often resulting in high parts count, cost, weight, and complexity, which affects fuel consumption, servicing costs, and environmental impact.
Innovation Solution
A suspension system comprising a hub carrier, support arm, and trailing link, with an inverted wishbone configuration and a strut, reducing the number of parts and weight while maintaining effective camber and toe control, allowing for a more compact and lightweight design.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional multi-link suspension systems are used to achieve precise wheel location and control, then ride comfort and handling are improved, but parts count, cost, weight, and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The suspension system is segmented into distinct functional components: a lower arm assembly (comprising wishbone and compression link) that provides lateral and longitudinal wheel location, and an upper strut assembly that provides vertical support and damping. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized for its specific function while reducing the total parts count compared to traditional multi-link systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The lower arm assembly performs multiple functions simultaneously: it provides lateral location, longitudinal location, and structural support for the wheel hub. The strut assembly combines spring and damper functions in a single integrated component. This multi-functionality reduces the number of separate parts needed while maintaining suspension performance.
2Reliability
If traditional multi-link suspension systems are used to achieve precise wheel location and control, then ride comfort and handling are improved, but cost and manufacturing complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The wishbone and compression link are merged into a single lower arm assembly that is manufactured as one integrated component or pre-assembled unit. This merging reduces the number of parts that need to be manufactured, stocked, and assembled, directly reducing manufacturing cost and complexity while maintaining the structural integrity needed for precise wheel location control.
3Reliability
If traditional suspension systems with higher parts count are used, then ride comfort and handling standards are met, but material usage, weight, and environmental impact increase
Solution Approach 1:
The design extracts only the essential suspension functions needed for handling performance: lateral location, longitudinal location, vertical support, and damping. Non-essential components and linkages are removed, resulting in a simplified system that uses less material while maintaining adequate handling performance through the optimized lower arm and strut configuration.
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle suspension comprises an assembly of a hub carrier and a support arm, the support arm being attached to the hub carrier at two points spaced from each other in the direction of travel and extending inwardly therefrom to a support arm attachment point for fixing to a chassis, and a trailing link extending from the assembly in a direction transverse to that of the support arm, toward a trailing link attachment point for fixing to the chassis. The trailing link preferably extends from the assembly in a forward direction, and is preferably connected directly to the hub carrier. A strut can extend upwardly toward an attachment point for fixing to a chassis, to provide a spring and damper. The support arm can comprise a pair of arms extending divergently from the attachment point to each of the two points. The hub carrier can include a pivot pin extending in a fore/aft alignment, passing through two pivot points on the support arm thereby to define the two points. The appropriate end of the pivot pin provides a convenient location for attaching the trailing link to the hub carrier. The invention further relates to a vehicle, comprising a chassis and at least two wheels, one on each side of the vehicle, each wheel being attached to the chassis via such a suspension.