Effect of Parameters on the Design of a Suspension System with Four Oblique Springs

This paper presents the fundamental static and dynamic characteristics of a suspension system consisting of four linear springs arranged in an X-shaped configuration to achieve geometric nonlinearity. The particular interest is towards the design of a softening spring geometry realizing a quasi-zero stiffness behaviour at large deflections, and the influence of the system parameters is investigated. The static performance is studied in terms of the force-deflection curve and the dynamic performance in terms of the frequency response curve. The softening-hardening behaviour of the suspension leads to a frequency response which bends to the lower frequencies reaching a well-defined minimum. It is found that both the static and dynamic behaviours may be described in terms of a single parameter, and a simple closed-form expression is determined which links the damping in the system to the excitation amplitude to achieve the lowest possible resonance frequency.

Automated summary

This paper discusses the fundamental characteristics of a suspension system with four linear springs arranged in an X-shaped configuration, focusing on the influence of softening spring geometry on system behavior, and studying the static and dynamic performance. A simple expression linking damping with excitation amplitude is determined to achieve the lowest possible resonance frequency.