Date of Award
Fall 1971
Document Type
Thesis - Restricted
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
Department
Mechanical Engineering
First Advisor
Nigro, N. J.
Second Advisor
Wallace, Donald B.
Third Advisor
Hartman, A. J.
Abstract
The vehicle suspension system is designed to provide a smooth ride to the passengers and the cargo. The most commonly used leaf spring in the vehicle suspension systems is the semi-elliptic multi-leaf spring. Recently, there has been a considerable interest in developing the taper leaf springs because of their advantages like reduced friction, less weight, longer life and less maintenance. The objective of the thesis is to discuss the preliminary design of the vehicle suspension system with taper leaf springs. To simplify the mathematical model for the vehicle suspension system which is complicated due to the combination of the continuous (taper leaf spring) and the lumped (sprung and unsprung masses) parameter systems, an equivalent lumped parameter model (one degree of freedom) is developed for the taper leaf spring. This equivalent model is modified by comparing its behavior with that predicted by the continuous parameter model. Finally, the mathematical model for the entire vehicle suspension is developed by utilizing the modified lumped parameter model for the leaf. This model for the vehicle suspension system is employed to determine the bounce, pitch and roll (natural ) frequencies and the vehicle frequency response.
Recommended Citation
Bhatia, Suraaj P., "Preliminary Design of the Vehicle Suspension System with Taper Leaf Springs" (1971). Master's Theses (1922-2009) Access restricted to Marquette Campus. 3947.
https://epublications.marquette.edu/theses/3947