A

SEMINAR REPORT
ON
"HYDROPNEUMATIC SUSPENSION“
FOR THE COURSE
THIRD YEAR AUTOMOBILE ENGINEERING
)2008-2009(
SUBMITTED BY
SIRSAT PRAVIN CHANDRABHAN
ROLL NO.:-06838
GUIDED BY
PROF. A. P. VADNERE
-:We will see

Hydropnumatic Suspension
History
Functioning
LHM
Manufacturing
Advantages
Disadvantages
Conclusion
 HYDROPNUMATIC SUSPENSION
It is a type of automotive suspension system, invented by Citroen

The purpose of this system is to provide a soft, comfortable, yet well-

.controlled ride quality

The system has inherent advantages over steel springs

This system belt or camshaft driven pump from the engine to pressurize a
.special hydraulic fluid

.The suspension set-up is referred to as 'oleo pneumatic' in early literature

.It have been many improvements to this system

.The system had one key negative impact on the inventor

 -:HISTORY
Citroën first introduced this system in 1954 on the rear suspension of the •
Traction Avant

introduces the BMC ADO16 ('1100') with hydrolastic Morris Motor Company 1962 •
suspension
introduces the 600 with air suspension designed to avoid Mercedes-Benz 1964 •
Citroën patents
licenses Citroën technology for the suspension of the new Rolls-Royce 1965 •
Silver Shadow

air suspension introduces the 6.3 also with Mercedes-Benz 1966 •

Peugeot 405 Mi16x4: first Peugeot equipped with rear hydropneumatic 1990 •
suspension
JCB Fastrac high speed agricultural tractor uses this system for its rear 1990 •

.suspension
Hydractive 3 removes the need for central hydraulic pressure :Citroën C5 2001 •
generation; combined pump/sphere unit for the suspension only and with electric
height adjustment sensors
+An improved version of the C5 system known as Hydractive 3 :Citroën C6 2005 •
JCB Fastrac high speed 7000 series agricultural tractors now use this system for 2007 •
front and rear suspension
-:Functioning

Diagram of the Hydractive system

 -:LHM (Liquid Hydraulic Mineral)

Citroen invented a new, green fluid ,LHM

.Mineral oil is not hydroscopic, unlike standard brake fluid

The chief problem with LHS is that the water it absorbs produces corrosion in
.the system

Most hydraulic brake system are sealed from the outside air by a rubber
.diaphragm in reservoir filler cap, but the Citroen system was never sealed

LHM absorbs only an infinitesimal proportion of moisture, plus it contains

.corrosion inhibitors
 -:MANUFACTURING
The whole high pressure part of the system is manufactured from steel tubing of small
.diameter

.The moving parts of the system are sealed by contact seals

Height corrector, brake master valve & steering valve spools & hydraulic pump pistons
have extremely small clearance (1-3 micrometers)

Spheres are not subject to mechanical wear' but suffer pressure loss ,mostly from
.nitrogen diffusing through the membrane

.Newer spheres do not have plug, but can be retrofitted

.The membrane has an indefinite life unless run at low pressure which leads to rupture

.With no springing a flat sphere can bend the suspension parts or dent a wheel rim

.The older cars had a separate front brake accumulator on power steering models
 -:ADVANTAGES
.The suspension is self-leveling and ride-height is adjustable
The ride comfort is excellent but the suspension never 'wallows', giving precise handling
and road-holding

Large loads do not seriously affect the dynamics of the suspension system and handling
.is not affected markedly by loads within the cars' rated capacities

.Compact suspension design

.Maintenance for trained mechanic is relatively easy

Inexpensive in mass production

Can be conveniently interconnected in the roll plane to improve roll stiffness and thus roll
stability limit, especially for heavy vehicles
.
Can be connected in the pitch plane to improve braking dive and traction squat

Flexibility in the suspension strut design in the interconnected suspension system to

.realize desirable vertical, roll and pitch properties for different types of vehicles

Horizontal orientation of the rear suspension cylinders below the boot floor makes the full
width of the boot is available for cargo
 -:DIADVANTAGES
Service sometimes requires a specifically •
.trained mechanic
Hydropneumatic suspension systems are •
expensive to repair or replace, if poorly
maintained or contaminated with
.incompatible fluids
Failure of the hydraulic system will cause a •
drop in ride height and, possibly, the failure
of suspension completely, and the brakes will
not work
-:CONCLUSION

This system provide a soft, comfortable, yet well-controlled ride

.quality

For poor road quality the only way to maintain relatively high
.speed in a vehicle if it could easily absorb road irregularities

The system has inherent advantages over steel spring, generally

.recognize in the auto industry

It has an element of complexity, so automakers like Mercedes-

Benz, British Leyland & Linclon have sought to create simpler
.variants