Understanding Suspension Springs And Its Various Types

By Author: Stewart Ralph
Total Articles: 5
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With the car being the second most expensive investment a person makes in his life, it is no wonder that a continual effort is on to bring about an improvement in our automobiles. New automobile technologies are constantly developed and newer components innovated and designed to lend a person a more comfortable and smoother drive. One such improvement has come with the modifications and improvement of suspension springs. Today various suspension springs have come up which go a long way in eliminating the ever so uncomfortable jerks.

What are suspension springs?

Suspension springs are found between the car’s body and its axles. Its major function is to absorb various unwarranted movements, especially the up and down movements arising due to the wheels moving over various types of roads, especially the rough ones. Apart from absorbing shocks, the shock absorbers also prevent the cars from continuing the bouncing on its springs after it has passed over a bump. Thus springs are very important component of the suspension system and often referred as its first line of defense. There are various types of spring systems ...
... used in modern cars today. Let’s glimpse through them:-

Coil Springs

Mostly used in independent suspensions and conventional rigid axle suspensions, these are a basic heavy duty strip of metal wound around to form a spiral or helix. These can be fitted well in restricted spaces and are ideal for absorbing the up-down energy though their designs do not facilitate absorption of side-to-side motion. They also do not have torque reaction and thus, automobiles with these; need to have an alternate arrangement in place. These springs are also popular because they do not have any noise problems.

Leaf Springs

Also referred to as laminated springs, semi-elliptical springs and various other names, these are characterized by stacks of curved steel strips, known as leaves. Their blades often have varying length and work on the theory of beam of uniform strength. These are mounted on axle using a U bolt and the other end connected to a shackle to facilitate change in length between eyes of spring in response to the movement of the wheels. The arc of the leaves flexes up and down in response to the vehicle travelling uneven paths. These springs generate a lot of noise and thus are not used in upbeat and luxury vehicles. While their quality of ride is below the coil springs, they are more robust and handle weight much better. These are a popular option for heavy duty vehicles like trucks. There are various kinds of leaf springs available like up rated leaf springs, double-eye leaf springs, open-eye leaf springs etc.

Conclusion

There are various other types of springs as well like a torsion bar, rubber springs, compression springs, progressive spring, etc. Based on features they are used in various automobiles.

Sanderson Leaf Springs is a UK based company situated in West Midlands which independently supplies replacement suspension parts like parabolic/multi leaf springs, U bolts and brush sets for all types of vehicles. They can be contacted directly for highly economical and cost effective price quotes