Air suspension can undoubtedly help increase ride comfort; For example, lower the ride height to make it easier to get in and out of the SUV and reduce drag at high speeds. The ride height can be raised for normal use or the ground clearance can be raised for off-road driving, and the spring stiffness can even be changed to support different driving modes. Air suspension can be used with any type of damping system including adaptive magnetorheological dampers and variable stiffness anti-roll bars
Air suspension units replace the existing coil springs and are integrated into the suspension shock absorbers. Alternatively, air springs can be used independently of shock absorbers, especially in the rear suspension. The air spring itself usually consists of a hard and flexible air bag. They come in different types and sizes but ultimately do the same job as steel coil springs. They are a bit like bouncy castles in smaller size but with more complex technology; Air springs work by using compressed air and create more resistance when compressed
The use of air suspension in new cars provides a greater range of control than steel springs and is more effective in isolating vibration and helping to increase passenger comfort
The springs that were originally used in a very simple way in trucks and buses have now become a precise and microprocessor-controlled system that is capable of being more than just an ordinary spring. Unlike steel springs, the bending (suspension movement) of the suspension system equipped with an air spring is not proportional to the load on it. For this reason, the air spring can not only act like a spring, but it can also be used to raise and lower the ride height. The air pressure for pumping the air spring is supplied by the compressor, and usually there is a tank to supply the instantaneous pressure when the spring is working.
Inevitably, as the air spring has evolved, so has its complexity and capability. In addition, modern systems equipped with variable ride height create different driving modes; While the control software can adapt the suspension settings to different driving styles. Modern suspension systems can also be used to level the load, preventing the vehicle from sitting on its wheels when being heavily loaded or towed.
An example of a more complex suspension system is Porsche’s three-chamber air spring, which provides even more variation between Comfort, Sport and Off-Road driving settings. As the name of this suspension system suggests, each suspension assembly for each wheel is divided into three separate chambers or chambers, and two chambers can be removed at the same time. In order to achieve the smoothest riding conditions in Comfort mode, all three compartments are activated to create maximum air volume. Then two chambers will be available for Sport mode and one chamber for Sport Plus mode, which has a much lower compression volume and produces a stiffer spring.
Despite the fancy brand names automakers choose for air suspension systems, their hardware is made by different parts makers like BWI and Continental, and automakers go through the process of tuning the software and changing the exact suspension specs to suit a particular car. In addition, the hardware used in the springs has also become very complicated; For example, instead of simple rubber materials in the primary systems, new materials such as cross-linked Kevlar or nylon are used for greater strength.
Techra Air Company, relying on local knowledge and the power of the country’s elite engineers, has been able to design this system completely indigenously in accordance with the world’s standards and bring it to the production stage.
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