Studying the effect of Implementing Air Spring on Kinematic Behavior, Stability and Handling of Heavy Vehicles

Document Type : Research Article

Authors

1 Malek Ashtar University, Tehran, Iran

2 Department of Mechanical Engineering, Iran University of Science and Technology, Tehran

3 Arak University of Technology

Abstract

The suspension system plays a critical role in off-road vehicles, exerting a considerable influence on control, stability, handling, and the ability to adjust the spring response with variations of the vehicle weight. This study investigates the effect of adding an air spring into a double wishbone suspension system, which is further augmented by a shock absorber and a torsion bar. Initially, the differential equations governing the air suspension system—characterized by nonlinear parameters—are simplified to calculate the air spring's coefficient. Subsequently, a model of the double wishbone suspension system, including two hydraulic shock absorbers, a torsion bar, and an air spring, is modeled in Adams Car and TruckSim software. The model analyzes the force-displacement relationship of the air spring based on the main input data such as the stiffness coefficient of the torsion bar, the force-velocity characteristics of the shock absorbers, the suspended and unsuspended masses, and the tire stiffness coefficient. The performance of the vehicle is studied for the suspension system with and without an air spring. The kinematic and Compliance tests are conducted utilizing Adams Car while handling, stability, and comfortability evaluations are performed employing TrackSim software. The results show that the suspension system's performance is enhanced regarding stability and handling when utilizing air springs, resulting in reduced vertical acceleration of the vehicle and a more seamless driving experience on curved and sine-wave roads.

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Amirkabir Journal of Mechanical Engineering
Volume 57, Issue 6
September 2025
Pages 729-756

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