Numerical studies on influence of friction coefficient in multi-leaf spring on suspension basic characteristics

The results of numerical analyses for a 3D model of a dependent vehicle suspension equipped with a multi-leaf spring (with a shackle) are presented in the paper. Friction between the feather surfaces and the impact of the sprung and the unsprung mass of a vehicle suspension are taken into account during tests. The influence of elastic and damping properties of tires as well as the impact of viscous damping are omitted in the considerations. This approach considerably simplifies the analysis of the calculation results. The kinematic excitation originating from the micro-profile of road irregularities is assumed to be a sinusoid with the given parameters (amplitude and frequency). Tests of the force impact, for the assumed values of static and kinetic friction coefficients, on the quality of suspension work are included in the multivariate numerical tests. The simulation results are presented in the form of vibrations time courses of the sprung and unsprung mass as well as tabulations of the vibration transmission factor. This parameter is used to assess the suspension quality (the degree of vibration isolation). The tests are carried out in the LS-DYNA system.