The front suspension consists of stamped lower wishbones and an anti-roll bar attached to the front suspension subframe.
The subframe of the front suspension is stamped-welded, box-section, fixed in the front part with two bolts to the spars of the engine compartment, in the rear part with two bolts to the power elements of the bulkhead.
Front suspension: 1 - front suspension arm; 2 - subframe; 3 - bolts for attaching the suspension arm to the subframe; 4 - bar of the anti-roll bar; 5 - bracket for attaching the stabilizer bar; 6 - shock absorber strut and shock absorber spring; 7 - rotary fist; 8 - a bolt of fastening of a bar of the stabilizer of cross-section stability; 9 - coupling bolt for connecting the steering knuckle and ball joint pin; 10 - ball bearing; 11- rear silent block of the lever (front silent block is not visible)
General view of the MacPherson front suspension assembly: 1 - suspension subframe; 2 - right and left levers of the front suspension; 3 – a rotary fist with a nave and the bearing; 4 - shock absorber; 5 - anti-roll bar
Stretcher: 1 - the attachment points of the subframe to the front of the body; 2 - places for attaching the front suspension arm to the subframe; 3 - places for rear attachment of the subframe and anti-roll bar; 4 – an arm for fastening of a rubber pillow of a suspension bracket of an exhaust system; 5 - bracket for fixing the rear support of the power unit
Front suspension arm: 1 - lever; 2 - ball bearing; 3 – anther of a spherical support; 4 - silent blocks of the suspension arm (front and rear)
Roll Stabilizer: 1 - nut; 2 - lower rubber bushing; 3 - rubber-metal bushing; 4 - plastic washer; 5 - upper rubber bushing; 6 - screw; 7 – a bar of the stabilizer of cross stability; 8 - rod fastening bracket; 9 - rubber pad stabilizer
Front shock absorber: 1 - shock absorber; 2 - shock absorber spring; 3 – compression buffer with boot; 4 – a nut for fastening of the shock-absorber to a body; 5 - support washer; 6 – a nut of fastening of the top support; 7 - the upper support of the shock absorber; 8 - bearing of the upper support; 9 - the upper thrust cup of the spring
About modern car suspensions
The suspension connects the body to the wheels, perceives the forces acting on a moving car, and dampens vibrations. Suspension settings directly affect the handling of the car.
In the design of the suspension, four groups of parts are conventionally distinguished. Conventionally, because in various schemes, some elements can perform the functions of two groups, and sometimes even three.
The first group - elastic parts that perceive the impact of forces transmitted from contact with the road surface (springs, springs, torsion bars or hydropneumatic elements). The second group - guide rods that transmit lateral and longitudinal forces and their moments, as well as connecting the body with other suspension elements, transmission and wheels. The third group - elements that dampen vibrations (shock absorbers or shock absorbers). The fourth is the suspension fastening elements.
There are also dependent, independent and semi-independent suspensions.
Actually, the first variants of the suspension design were inherited by the car from the cart. The oldest of them is the spring, it was used by the Romans in the first century BC. It is still widely used today on commercial vehicles and SUVs. In the production of modern springs, advanced materials are used, for example, instead of metal, it can be reinforced plastic.
On front-wheel drive vehicles, McPherson struts are most often used in the design of the front suspension. In fact, this is a shock absorber and spring assembly. From below it is attached to the steering knuckle, from above to the roof mudguard. Also, the composition of such a scheme includes one or two transverse levers. The main advantages of the McPherson suspension are compactness and ease of installation, which is important both for manufacturability of production and for ease of repair. On some vehicles, McPherson struts are also used in the rear suspension.
Also on modern passenger cars, the design of the front suspension on double levers is widespread. Springs, torsion bars, pneumatic elements or hydropneumatic devices are used as elastic parts in such a scheme.
Multi-link suspension - this is the name of the design, which includes four levers or more, it is used on both the front and rear axles. Such a suspension allows for better handling, and at first it was used mainly on premium cars. Now it can be found on machines of the mass segment. The main drawback of this design is one - the high cost and complexity of repair, since many parts and fasteners have to be replaced.
On cars in the mass segment, the rear suspension design most often uses a torsion beam, it is also called a torsion beam. This type of suspension is semi-independent, since the wheels can turn at a small angle, as a result of elastic deformation of both the beam itself and the fasteners. Its main advantages are compactness, low cost, manufacturability. But there are also serious drawbacks. The main one is that during long-term operation, fatigue cracks may appear in the beam, which are difficult to diagnose.
Recently, air suspensions with integrated regulation have been increasingly used in premium segment cars. They allow you to provide a constant ground clearance regardless of the load of the car, as well as change the clearance depending on the speed of the car and road conditions. This scheme is most relevant for crossovers and SUVs. In this design, pneumatic elements or hydropneumatic devices are used. The suspension is controlled by microprocessors. The main disadvantages of such a scheme are high cost and complexity, both in production and in repair.
On premium segment cars, active suspensions have recently become widespread, in which the stiffness of the elements and ground clearance are regulated by electric drives. Some sports cars even have active anti-roll bars.
In the future, the suspension will be even more integrated into the overall complex of active vehicle safety equipment.