Auto Shock Absorber Spring Assembly Guide

Shock absorber spring assembly

The Function of shock absorber and spring 

The shock absorber spring assembly is mainly composed of a shock absorber and a shock absorber spring.

The shock-absorbing spring is an energy storage component and plays a buffering role; the shock absorber is an energy-consuming component and plays a vibration-absorbing role.

The main function of a shock absorber spring is to store and release energy. When a vehicle drives on an uneven road surface, the wheels will be subject to shock and vibration from the road surface. These shocks and vibrations will be transmitted to the vehicle body, causing unnecessary shaking and bumps in the vehicle body. Through its elastic properties, the shock absorber spring is able to absorb these shocks and vibrations and convert them into spring compression or tension, thereby reducing the shaking and bumps of the vehicle body.

However, damping springs alone cannot completely eliminate vehicle body vibrations. When a spring compresses or stretches, it creates a rebound force that can cause the vehicle body to continue to vibrate after an impact. At this point, the shock absorber plays a key role.

The main function of the shock absorber is to suppress the rebound and vibration of the spring. When the spring is compressed or stretched by an impact, the shock absorber will respond quickly and consume the rebound energy of the spring through its internal damping effect. In this way, when the spring attempts to return to its original shape, the shock absorber prevents it from rebounding too quickly, thus reducing the vibration of the body.

Therefore, the combined use of shock absorbers and shock absorbing springs can more effectively reduce the vibration and shaking of the vehicle body, and improve the vehicle’s driving smoothness and control stability. When designing and selecting a suspension system, it is necessary to properly match shock absorbers and shock absorbing springs according to the specific use and performance requirements of the vehicle to achieve the best vibration reduction effect.

The structure of shock absorber spring assembly :

0 Shock Absorber
1 Shock Absorber Spring
2 Lower Spring Seats
3 Spring Seat
4 Dust Jacket
5 Shock Absorbing Pads
6 Upper Spring Seat
7 Nuts
8 Top Glue

How the shock absorber spring assembly works:

When a car is driving on the road, the wheels will jump up and down due to uneven road surfaces.

The process of jumping up is called the compression stroke, and the process of jumping down is called the extension stroke.

During the compression stroke, the vertical vibration caused by the uneven road surface is transmitted from the tire to the spring, and the spring is compressed. At this time, the spring only temporarily stores the vibration energy and does not consume it. At the same time, the shock absorber also undergoes compression. Due to the internal valve system of the shock absorber, there are many small intercepting holes. During the reciprocating motion, the shock absorber oil can convert mechanical energy into thermal energy and transfer it to the cylinder tube, where it is air-cooled. It is dissipated in a certain way and plays the role of energy dissipation and vibration reduction.

During the expansion stroke, the spring will change from compression to expansion, which can also be called recovery. During the recovery stroke, the spring releases the energy stored in the compression stroke, which means that the function of the spring is to delay the release of part of the mechanical vibration energy.

At the same time, the shock absorber also converts from compression to expansion. In this process, the shock absorber is still converting mechanical energy into heat energy and dissipating it outward.

Therefore, it is obvious that the spring absorbs and stores vibration energy during the compression stroke and releases it during the extension stroke; The shock absorber, regardless of the compression stroke or the expansion stroke, consumes vibration energy, which is commonly known as “vibration reduction”.

Shock absorber

Shock absorber function

The function of the automobile shock absorber is mainly to suppress the rebound impact of the spring and the impact of the road surface, thereby damping the vibration transmitted to the vehicle body due to uneven road surfaces or poor driving conditions, to maintain the ride comfort of the vehicle and quickly eliminate the damage to the axles and wheels caused by the road surface. shock.

Shock absorbers can alleviate the impact caused by the road surface, quickly absorb the vibration caused by bumps, and return the vehicle to normal driving conditions. In automobile suspension systems, shock absorbers, and elastic elements (such as springs) are installed in parallel to jointly undertake the tasks of buffering shock and shock absorption. When relative movement occurs between the frame (or body) and the axle, the piston in the shock absorber moves up and down, causing the oil in the shock absorber chamber to repeatedly flow from one chamber through different pores into the other chamber. At this time, the friction between the hole wall and the oil and the internal friction between the oil molecules form a damping force on the vibration, converting the vehicle vibration energy into oil heat energy, which is then absorbed and dissipated into the atmosphere by the shock absorber.

How shock absorbers work

When the frame (or body) and the axle vibrate and cause relative motion, the piston in the shock absorber moves up and down, and the oil in the shock absorber chamber repeatedly flows from one chamber through different pores into the other chamber. At this time, the friction between the hole wall and the oil and the internal friction between the oil molecules form a damping force on the vibration, converting the vehicle vibration energy into oil heat energy, which is then absorbed and dissipated into the atmosphere by the shock absorber. When the cross-section and other factors of the oil channel remain unchanged, the damping force increases or decreases with the relative movement speed between the frame and the axle (or wheel), and is related to the viscosity of the oil.

Shock absorber types

From the perspective of the material that produces damping, there are mainly two types of shock absorbers: hydraulic and pneumatic.

Hydraulic shock absorber

The inside of the hydraulic shock absorber is filled with hydraulic oil. When the wheel is impacted and moves upward, a piston inside the shock absorber compresses hydraulic fluid, causing it to flow to another chamber. During this process, the hydraulic oil is damped, thereby absorbing and cushioning the impact. When the wheel returns to its normal position, the hydraulic oil will flow back into the original chamber to help the wheel reset.

Using oil as the medium, the friction between the oil in the cylinder and the hole wall generates a damping force, thereby attenuating the impact of the road surface on the vehicle body. However, the oil is prone to foaming under continuous and high-speed operation, causing the shock absorber to The work is discontinuous and fails to achieve the expected results: in low temperature environments, the viscosity of the oil increases, causing the performance of the shock absorber to fail; when the shock absorber works continuously, the high-speed flow of oil will make noise, thereby increasing the vehicle’s Driving noise.

The principle is that when the frame and the axle make reciprocating relative motions and the piston moves back and forth in the cylinder of the shock absorber, the oil in the shock absorber housing will repeatedly flow from the inner cavity into the other through some narrow pores. An inner cavity. At this time, the friction between the liquid and the inner wall and the internal friction of the liquid molecules form a damping force on the vibration.

Pneumatic shock absorber

Pneumatic shock absorbers, also known as oil-gas hybrid shock absorbers, use oil as the medium and add some gas into the cylinder as an auxiliary. On the basis of hydraulic shock absorbers, gas media is added, thereby increasing stability and reducing The noise is caused by the high-speed flow of oil, but the working principle is still the working principle of hydraulic shock absorption.

Pneumatic shock absorbers are filled with gas (usually nitrogen). When the vehicle travels on uneven roads, the wheels will be impacted and move upward. This causes the gas within the shock absorber to be compressed, creating resistance that absorbs and cushions the impact. When the wheel returns to its normal position, the gas will expand again to help the wheel reset quickly.

Its structural feature is that a floating piston is installed at the lower part of the cylinder barrel, and a closed air chamber formed between the floating piston and one end of the cylinder barrel is filled with high-pressure nitrogen. A large-section O-ring is installed on the floating piston, which completely separates oil and gas. The working piston is equipped with a compression valve and an expansion valve that change the cross-sectional area of the passage according to its movement speed.

When the wheel jumps up and down, the working piston of the shock absorber reciprocates in the oil, causing an oil pressure difference between the upper chamber and the lower chamber of the working piston, and the pressure oil pushes open the compression valve and expansion valve and flows back and forth. Since the valve produces a large damping force on the pressure oil, the vibration is attenuated.

Shock absorber spring

Shock absorbing spring structure

There are various structures of automobile shock absorber springs, but the most common ones are coil springs. Coil springs are spiral-shaped parts made of steel, with both ends connected to shock absorbers to support the weight of the vehicle body and cushion road impacts. Coil springs are designed to generate elastic force when compressed or stretched, thereby counteracting shock and vibration from the road surface.

Performance characteristics of shock absorbing springs

• Strong load-bearing capacity: The automobile shock absorber spring needs to bear the weight of the car body and the impact from the road surface, so it must have sufficient load-bearing capacity.
• Good elasticity: The elasticity of the shock-absorbing spring determines its ability to absorb and buffer shocks. Good elasticity can ensure that the vehicle remains stable during driving and reduces the feeling of bumps.
• Strong durability: Automobile shock absorber springs need to withstand complex and changeable road impacts for a long time, so they must have sufficient durability to ensure long-term stability and reliability.
• High temperature resistance and corrosion resistance: The working environment of automobile shock absorber springs is relatively harsh and needs to withstand the influence of high temperature, corrosion and other adverse factors, so it must have corresponding high temperature resistance and corrosion resistance.

How shock absorbing springs work

The working principle of automobile shock absorber springs is mainly to reduce the impact and vibration from the road surface through its elasticity and damping force. When a vehicle drives on an uneven road surface, the wheels will be subject to shock and vibration from the road surface. These shocks and vibrations will be transmitted to the body through the suspension system, causing the body to shake and bump. In order to reduce this shaking and bumping, the shock absorber spring is compressed or stretched, creating elastic force to counteract external forces. At the same time, the damping fluid or gas in the shock absorber will also flow through the damping hole, generating damping force to slow down the movement speed of the spring, further reducing the amplitude of impact and vibration.