What is the ideal damper for a passenger car suspension?

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SUMMARY

The ideal damper for a passenger car suspension should achieve a damping ratio of approximately 0.2 to maximize comfort, particularly at city and highway speeds of 60 km/h and 100 km/h. The front suspension design currently supports a wheel rate of 60 lbf/in and a sprung mass of 391.68 lbf, with a ride frequency of 1.2254 Hz. It is crucial to differentiate damping characteristics between rebound and bump, as well as to establish an effective force velocity curve. Selecting a commercially available damper that aligns with the desired force velocity profile poses a challenge due to limited manufacturer data on damper performance.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of damping ratios in vehicle suspension systems
  • Knowledge of force velocity curves and their implications on ride comfort
  • Familiarity with suspension design principles and parameters
  • Experience with selecting automotive dampers from manufacturer catalogs
NEXT STEPS
  • Research "shock absorber force velocity curves" for visual references and comparisons
  • Study the "Shock Absorber Handbook (2nd ed)" for in-depth technical insights
  • Explore online forums like F1Technical for expert discussions on suspension tuning
  • Investigate damper selection techniques based on performance characteristics rather than just sizing
USEFUL FOR

Automotive engineers, suspension designers, and enthusiasts focused on optimizing passenger car ride comfort and performance.

hackashack
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I've been a bit lost figuring out what damper I should be using for the front suspension I am designing. Right now I'm running a wheel rate of 60 lbf/in at the front with a ride frequency of 1.2254 Hz. The front is also supporting a sprung mass of 391.68 lbf. Comfort is the end requirement of the design where the car will be operating at city and highway speeds of around 60km/h and 100km/h.

From what I've been reading a damping ratio of about 0.2 is suitable for a passenger car to maximize comfort in bump. I am aware that just working with that damping ratio all throughout the force velocity curve is not ideal because the ride can be very uncomfortable at high velocities and I am also aware that the damping should be higher during rebound compared to bump. Currently I am trying to work towards a force velocity curve that has a similar profile as shown in the attachment I've uploaded. However, I am having difficulty determining how much more damping I want in rebound compared to bump as well as where I should have the split between high and low velocity.

Another thing that I'm concerned about is when I do actually finalize my desired force velocity curve, how can I select a damper on the market that will behave similarly to that curve? I've been looking around in catalogs but all they help you with is the sizing and choosing the appropriate damper for a particular model of vehicle and I don't believe manufacturers are willing to reveal their force velocity plots for their dampers because it may be confidential information. Any help would be appreciated!
 

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  • Force Velocity Curve.PNG
    Force Velocity Curve.PNG
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Engineering news on Phys.org
Do you access to this book, shock absorber handbook (2nd ed)? Amazon let's you look at a lot,

https://www.amazon.com/dp/0768000505/?tag=pfamazon01-20

Another place to ask experts,

http://www.f1technical.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=8937&start=285

I like a Google image search,

https://www.google.com/search?q=sho...5KuH9sATspYLAAg&ved=0CB4QsAQ&biw=1360&bih=649

Google book preview shows quite a bit of the first edition of "shock absorber handbook".

https://books.google.com/books?id=0...A#v=onepage&q=shock absorber handbook&f=false
 
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