What are the benefits of air suspension

The vehicle suspension system is an important part used to connect the frame and the axle, and generally consists of shock absorbers, elastic elements, and guide mechanisms. When the vehicle is running, the ground and the vehicle generate a corresponding force. If this force is directly transmitted to the frame, it will feel very bumpy. The suspension of the vehicle connects the axle and the frame, and through the filter of the suspension, most of the force can be weakened and the comfort can be improved.

Leaf spring suspension and air suspension are usually used in trucks. The most common truck suspension we see is usually leaf spring suspension, because the leaf spring suspension has simple structure, low cost and reliable operation. In recent years, with the advancement of technology and the formulation of regulations, air suspension has become more and more common in trucks. It has the characteristics of light weight and good comfort. So what are the advantages and disadvantages of these two types of suspensions?

● Air suspension is comfortable and smooth but expensive

The new GB7258 Regulations officially implemented on January 1, 2018 mentioned: "The rear axle of dangerous goods transport vehicles with a total mass greater than or equal to 12000kg, all dangerous goods transport semi-trailers, and three-axle fence-type and warehouse-grid semi-trailers Trailers should be equipped with air suspension.” This regulation will make air suspension more and more common, thanks to the characteristics of air suspension, compared with traditional steel plate suspension, air suspension is indeed more suitable for pulling dangerous goods or other High value-added goods.

The air suspension controls the filling and discharging of compressed air in the airbag through the control system, so as to realize the adjustment of the load capacity and height of the vehicle. Cars equipped with air suspension are generally equipped with controllers under the driving position. Compared with the traditional leaf spring suspension, the air suspension can keep the chassis height unchanged when driving, the natural frequency is almost unchanged, and the center of gravity of the vehicle is almost unchanged.

Therefore, it has good comfort and safety, can effectively protect the goods, reduce the loss rate of goods during transportation, and also reduce the impact of the vehicle on the road surface when driving. The height of the airbag can be adjusted through the controller to improve loading and unloading efficiency, reduce fuel consumption, reduce tire wear, etc. At the same time, the air suspension also has the characteristics of taking up less space and lighter weight.

When the tractor equipped with air suspension is being dropped and hooked for transportation, the height of the airbag can be adjusted to quickly realize unhooking and hooking, which improves the efficiency of transportation. In addition, when the vehicle docks with the loading and unloading platform, the air suspension can adjust the height of the chassis more conveniently, so as to realize the rapid loading and unloading of goods.

But there are also disadvantages. Compared with the traditional leaf spring suspension, the cost of air suspension is higher, and the cost of maintenance in the later period is also much higher. Another point is not to overload!

Air suspension will definitely become the development trend of the industry in the future. At present, the regulations have clarified that some models must be used. It can be seen that air suspension is recognized in the industry. As early as the early 1950s, Europe and the United States had used air suspension on passenger cars and trucks, and the usage rate on heavy trucks had exceeded 90% in the late 1990s.

● Steel plate suspension Reliable but heavy and rigid

Leaf spring suspension is not only used in trucks, because it has very good bearing capacity and reliability, it is also used in some hard-core off-road vehicles, vans, buses, etc. It is the earliest suspension type used, and the leaf spring suspension was also used on the world's first car born in 1886.

The leaf spring suspension is simple in structure, low in cost, reliable and durable, and has quite good load-bearing performance. But the disadvantage is that the weight and layout space are too large, and the weight of dozens of steel plates is undoubtedly an obstacle to lightweight. At the same time, the comfort is also lacking, the rigidity is too high, and the noise is also loud.

In the 18th century, the French invented a flat single-piece steel spring suspension system used on carriages. In 1763, American Treadwell obtained the first patent for coil spring suspension. Badia Elliott invented the leaf spring suspension. In 1878, the French Le Mans Congress Amediboli invented a device that uses leaf springs as independent suspension for the front wheels; things to replace old things.

Leaf spring suspension currently accounts for the mainstream of my country's truck market. Although air suspension has been supported by regulations, if one thing wants to completely replace something, it still depends on the changes it brings.