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Join Date: Nov 2001
Location: Los Angeles
Posts: 937
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Mech Eng suspension question
Why are the spring plates a flat piece of steel? Do they add springing or ride comfort the torsion bars can't? Wouldn't a straight tubular piece be lighter and cheaper? 'Splain, please.
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Scott |
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11-09-2002, 12:04 PM
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The forces on the spring plane act in the of the plate. A flat plate has good resistance to distortion in is own plane, very little in the perpendicular plane. A tube or bar would be more "bendy" in the vertical plane.
Last edited by nick-moss; 11-09-2002 at 01:01 PM.. |
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11-09-2002, 12:39 PM
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Information Junky
Join Date: Mar 2001
Location: an island, upper left coast, USA
Posts: 73,167
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Beam theory stuff.
The stiffness in the tall direction (of the profile) is huge in comparison to the stiffness across the thickness. (ie. house construction: you would use a 2x10 "on-edge" unless you wanted a really bouncey floor)  So, the design of the spring plate drives all of the loading force (weight) into the torsion bar -AND- allows small side-to-side motion, as the trailing arm pivots on a different axis.
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Everyone you meet knows something you don't. - - - and a whole bunch of crap that is wrong. Disclaimer: the above was 2¢ worth. More information is available as my professional opinion, which is provided for an exorbitant fee. 
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11-09-2002, 12:54 PM
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Location: Los Angeles
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Got it, thank you gentlemen.
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Scott |
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11-09-2002, 01:09 PM
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