Abstract
Keywords suspension, architecture, component, flexible, flecs
Abstract Two simple, but apparently conflicting, requirements drive the market for passenger car suspension modules: continuous improvements in suspension performance combined with simultaneous reductions in cost. This paper describes a new and innovative approach to the design of suspension linkages that has been devised by Magneti Marelli Cofap Automotive Suspension (MMCAS) in response to these requirements.
The approach gives rise to a family of new suspension architectures based on control arms that deform in a precise and predetermined manner under load and, in doing so, define the elasto-kinematic properties of the suspension. This allows the complexity, and therefore the cost, of the architecture to be greatly reduced. The compliant properties of the suspension are also improved by the application of this approach. The control arms are entirely passive and constructed from steels already widely used for suspension components.
These architectures are termed Flexible Link, Elevated Compliance Suspensions (FLECS).
The paper includes a description of the concept, the theory behind it and provides a detailed account of the issues concerned with its implementation. Results obtained from the prototype suspension fitted to the MMCAS concept demonstrator vehicle are also described.