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Hi Guys,
I am currently doing a project for a motorsport course at collage and I have selected to look at the suspension systems, I have gone through how everything works and how it affects the car but I was looking into what could be next in terms of suspension?
I was just wondering what you guys think and would like to see some ideas
Thanks Brad

Maybe you could start the discussion with your own ideas of what could be the future of suspension? I'm sure that there are many here who would be willing add their insights but if you don't contribute then it's hardly constructive.

And could you be more specific when it comes to suspensions? What application are you focusing on: Rally? Formula? GT? Prototypes?

The more info you give the more you'll receive.

I feel like the future of suspensions in any race series is.. mostly arbitrary, dependent on the rules. It's whatever the governing body wants it to be. Think about how long ago active cars were...

The future of suspension and automotive development in general will continue to be in the consumer world, as it has tended to be.

I just recalled the McLaren MP4-12C which uses a hydraulic system on the road car, but in racing form it has to revert back to a damper/spring set up. So even though suspensions do advance, as JT says, they are limited by the regulations.

While that's not entirely motorsport related, as someone who drives upon a moon surface-like road (Sofia), I have to change suspension parts frequently, so I'd vote for easier to manufacture parts, which are supposedly cheaper and/or more solid.
On the other hand, suspension modes have to be user-selectable, most of all which I appreciate are BMWs recent incarnations and GTR's damptronic shock-absorbers.

Rules are generally defining what the design trend could be. Have you checked our FRIC discussion topic? Some say it's the must-have gizmo for 2013 and onward.

Much of what suspension does is to dissipation potentially upsetting energy, primarily by converting it to heat. There’s some interesting work being done to harvest this energy to increase vehicle efficiency. Sort of regenerative dampers and such.

i've been thinking about regenerative shocks and i have come up with the shockacting as a pump for either hydraulic or pneumatically. i'm still trying to think of a way to have the pump as an active suspension and i think their is already a linear motor regeneration for electricity for both active and non active suspension (note that i don't know too much about suspension)

Regenerative dampers on a road car seems a bit of a waste of time to me. The damper power would be very low. Perhaps on a rally car, maybe it could help because there is more damping force and velocity (= power).

I'd also disagree with the statement that "most of what the suspension does is converted to heat". In fact, most of the suspension forces are sent through the spring for a period, then back to the ground. The next biggest proportion of suspension force is going through the links to accelerate the body. This leaves only a small proportion which is actually dissipated through the damper.

If the 'whole' suspension was elecrtomagnetic without mechanical springs, then recovering the energy would be useful.
Oh sorry ignore that, its of topic.

The amount of energy you recover from damper movement is quite small. The technology to harvest it is there, but about the only people who can derive any real gains from it are the solar car guys. And even then, it's for powering onboard microelectronics, not the tractive system.

So I've heard, at least.

Thing is, from a performance point of view, you are adding weight. Probably several kg on each corner. Such a system has to bring performance benefits which outweigh this before you can talk about an overall improvement.

Tim.Wright wrote:Regenerative dampers on a road car seems a bit of a waste of time to me. The damper power would be very low. Perhaps on a rally car, maybe it could help because there is more damping force and velocity (= power).

I'd also disagree with the statement that "most of what the suspension does is converted to heat". In fact, most of the suspension forces are sent through the spring for a period, then back to the ground. The next biggest proportion of suspension force is going through the links to accelerate the body. This leaves only a small proportion which is actually dissipated through the damper.

Regenerative suspension –not just dampers- on a road car get more attractive with a battery already available to utilize harvested energy, I would think. There’s nothing all that expensive and affords excellent programmability.

The stored energy in heave and spring tension is the problem. It does not returned to the ground but rather manifests as friction-generated heat in the tire, damper and even a small bit in the internal spring friction. Friction makes the damper a bit toasty. Sinking the energy in a battery would seem preferable to heating the damper.

I always liked the idea of upper and lower thin steel reeds doing all the springing and enhancing aerodynamics, viewed from top, a flat solid sheet with a triangle sillhouette.
Might be a bit dangerous?

Tim.Wright wrote:Regenerative dampers on a road car seems a bit of a waste of time to me. The damper power would be very low. Perhaps on a rally car, maybe it could help because there is more damping force and velocity (= power).

I'd also disagree with the statement that "most of what the suspension does is converted to heat". In fact, most of the suspension forces are sent through the spring for a period, then back to the ground. The next biggest proportion of suspension force is going through the links to accelerate the body. This leaves only a small proportion which is actually dissipated through the damper.

One of the main reasons trains use regenerative braking is move the energy away from the brakes and dispose of it without overheating the mechanical system. Electric 'dampers' as well as being theoretically programmable, could pipe waste energy away electrically. Using that waste energy to power other systems is a bonus rather than the primary aim.

smellybeard wrote: One of the main reasons trains use regenerative braking is move the energy away from the brakes and dispose of it without overheating the mechanical system. Electric 'dampers' as well as being theoretically programmable, could pipe waste energy away electrically. Using that waste energy to power other systems is a bonus rather than the primary aim.

good point
but IIRC(putting on my pedantic hat) regenerative braking means reusing electrical energy
most trains (that have electromagnetic braking) simply dump as heat the electrical energy generated by EM braking
by dissipating it from exposed resistor banks, this is known as resistive braking
(for EM damping, no easier than dumping heat from conventional dampers ?)