Assoc. Prof. PhD.

Nguyễn Văn Nhận

ENGLISH FOR SPECIFIC PURPOSES

FOR AUTOMOTIVE STUDENTS

Lesson ESP 7
SUSPENSION SYSTEM COMPONENTS
Shock Absorber
Coil Spring
Leaf Spring

Strut

Upper Control Arm

Sway Bar Steering Knuckle

Lower Control Arm

Đà Nẵng – 2023
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1. FUNCTIONS AND COMPONENTS OF SUSPENSION SYSTEMS

Suspension System is an automotive system that supports the body and
powertrain, and transfers vehicle weight to the wheels and tires.
The functions of all suspension systems are to :
 Support the weight of the vehicle,
 Provide a comfortable ride,
 Allow rapid cornering without excessive body roll,
 Keep tires in firm contact with the road surface,
 Allow front wheels to turn left or right for steering,
 Isolate the body from road shock and vibrations,
 Prevent excessive body squat when accelerating or heavily load,
 Prevent excessive body dive when braking.
The actual suspension components can be classified in three categories,
which are : suspension links, cushioning devices, and ball joints and bushings.
Apart from those, there are some parts properly thought of as suspension-
related, including frames, axles, and knuckles.

Shock Absorber
Coil Spring
Leaf Spring

Strut

Upper Control Arm

Sway Bar Steering Knuckle

Lower Control Arm

Fig. 1. Structure of a Suspension System

Assoc. Prof. PhD. Nguyễn Văn Nhận - Dong A University - 2023

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2. SUSPENSION LINKS
A suspension link is any of the metal rods or arms that are part of the
suspension linkage between the frame and the wheels.
When discussing suspension components, technicians tend to use
terminology loosely frequently interchanging the word 'link', 'arm', and 'rod',
among others. Many suspension links have no specific name, but generally
descriptive terms, such as "lateral link", "transverse link", "control link", etc.
Some links are common enough to have widely accepted names, and among
these are : control arms, strut rods, Panhard rods, and antiroll bars.
3. CUSHIONING DEVICES
The cushioning devices are components that absorb the force of road
shock and keep the frame from bouncing. There are two kinds of the cushioning
devices : springs and shock absorbers.
A suspension spring serves two purposes. First, it acts as a buffer between
the suspension and frame to absorb vertical wheel and suspension movement
without passing it on to the frame. Second, each spring transfers part of the
weight of the car to the suspension part it rest on, which transfers it to the
wheels.
There are four types of springs currently in use in automobile
suspensions : leaf springs, coil springs, torsion bars, and air springs.
Shock absorber is a cushioning device that provides friction to damp the
oscillation of the suspension spring. Also called a damper.
Because friction interferes with spring movement, the ideal spring creates
little or no friction. However, the less friction within a spring, the longer it
continues to oscillate after a bump - again, because nothing interferes with its
movement. The shock absorber provides friction to control and quickly stop
spring oscillation.
Besides the spring and shock absorber, a small but important
cushioning device is the bump stop, which prevents metal-to-metal contact
between suspension parts if the spring bottoms out. When the bump stop is on
suspension arm or frame member, it is usually a rubber cone, which provides
increasing resistance as the stop is compressed. Some bump stops are inside
the shock absorbers or on the struts. Without bump stops, the suspension
compresses too much, which can eventually break the spring, especially a leaf
spring.

Assoc. Prof. PhD. Nguyễn Văn Nhận - Dong A University - 2023

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4. BALL JOINTS AND BUSHINGS

Apart from the cushioning devices, the suspension consists of a number of
links and the couplings that join them together. For the suspension to compress,
the couplings must allow some movement between the links. The two types of
couplings used to allow suspension compression are : ball joints and bushings.
4.1. BALL JOINTS
A ball joint consists of a ball and socket that allow continuous angle
changes in different directions between the parts that the joint couples. When
ball joints connect the knuckle to the suspension arms, the knuckle can tilt as
the wheel travels over an irregular road surface without every variation being
transmitted to the suspension. Additionally, at the front wheels, the steering
knuckle can pivot in response to steering system operation.
4.2. BUSHINGS
Bushings are couplings, that allow the parts they join to pivot or twist
in relation to each other. Suspension bushings may be rubber or metal. In a
metal bushing, facing metal surfaces that slide against each other provide the
pivoting action. Rubber bushings twist, rather than slide, to allow pivoting or
twisting. Rubber also helps absorb vibrations.
Bushing action differs from ball joint action in that the sliding of a ball
in a socket allows the ball joint to pivot on a variety of axes, while a bushing
pivots on a fixed axis.

Assoc. Prof. PhD. Nguyễn Văn Nhận - Dong A University - 2023

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ASSIGNMENTS
A. ESSAY TYPE ASSIGNMENTS
The following assignments must be done in writing.
A7.1. What is a Vietnamese specialist term which is considered to be an
optimal equivalent to "wheel knuckle" and what does it means ?
A7.2. Why must an automotive suspension system always has the cushioning
devices ?
A7.3. What are the main reasons why almost all suspension systems must
have ball joints or/ and bushings ?
A7.4. What does the ball joint differ from bushing in respect of their action in
suspension systems ?
A7.5. Select Vietnamese technical terms that are considered to be closest in
meaning to the below-given English ones, respectively :
No. English Vietnamese
1) Air Spring
2) Antiroll Bar
3) Axle
4) Ball Joints
5) Body Dive
6) Body Roll
7) Body Squat
8) Bump Stop
9) Bushings
10) Coil Spring
11) Control Arm
12) Cushioning Device
13) Damper
14) Knuckle
15) Leaf Spring
16) Panhard Rod
17) Shock Absorber
18) Strut Rod
19) Suspension
20) Suspension Links

Assoc. Prof. PhD. Nguyễn Văn Nhận - Dong A University - 2023

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B. OBJECTIVE TYPE QUESTIONS

Choose the single most correct answer.
B7.1. The knuckle .
A. attaches the shock absorber to the frame
B. joins the suspension to the wheel
C. attaches the Panhard rod to the rear axle
D. joins the shock absorber piston to the piston rod.
B7.2. A control arm attaches to .
A. a Panhard rod and a frame bushing or strut rod
B. a frame member and the knuckle or wheel flange
C. a frame member and a ball joint or bushing
D. an antiroll bar and the stub axle or radius rod
B7.3. Antiroll bars .
A. help support the car
B. control jounce and rebound
C. transfer cornering load back to the inner wheel
D. maintain ride height when the car is loaded
B7.4. Which type of spring is the least space efficient and lightweight ?
A. Leaf spring
B. Coil spring
C. Torsion bar
D. Air spring
B7.5. Technician A says that shock absorbers damp spring action.
Technician B says that shock absorbers may provide a limit for
suspension travel. Who is correct ?
A. A only
B. B only
C. Both A and B
D. Neither A nor B

Assoc. Prof. PhD. Nguyễn Văn Nhận - Dong A University - 2023

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Refer to Fig. 7 to answer questions B7.6 ÷ B7.10

(4)

(5)
(3)

(1) (2)

(6)

(8)
(7)

Fig. 7. Suspension Components

B7.6. Which component of
A. Coil spring
C. Leave spring
B7.7. Which component of
A. Coil spring
C. Leave spring
B7.8. Which component of
A. Coil spring
C. Leave spring
B7.9. Which component of
A. Lower control arm
C. Upper control arm
B7.10. Which component of
A. Lower control arm
C. Upper control arm
a suspension system is shown as number 1 in Fig. 7 ?
B. Strut
D. Shock absorber
a suspension system is shown as number 4 in Fig. 7 ?
B. Strut
D. Shock abs orber
a suspension system is shown as number 5 in Fig. 7 ?
B. Strut
D. Shock absorber
a suspension system is shown as number 6 in Fig. 7 ?
B. Antiroll bar
D. Torsion bar
a suspension system is shown as number 8 in Fig. 7 ?
B. Antiroll bar
D. Torsion bar

------- The End -------

Assoc. Prof. PhD. Nguyễn Văn Nhận - Dong A University - 2023