Rubber suspension:

The Leaf Spring, coil spring or other metallic springs have higher weight. The design engineer wants suspension system with minimum weight. Rubber suspension has lowest weight and stores higher energy per unit weight (compared to other suspension systems). Angled rubber spring pack
Bogie frame

 

Type of Rubber Suspension:

1. Compression springs: They have simple construction and lower cost. They have good vibration damping capacity.
2. Compression shear springs: These springs can take compressive as well as shear loads. They have higher fatigue resistance.
3. Steel reinforced springs: Addition of steel to compression rubber spring increases strength and stiffness. Steel acts like a guide member and helps to improve load carrying capacity of the spring.
4. Progressive shear springs: The stiffness of these springs increases with increasing loads. These springs give softer suspension at lighter loads.
5. Torsional shear springs: These springs have higher torsional rigidity (GJ) and are used as additional springs in sports or racing cars.
6. Face shear springs: This spring Consists of a metal plated fixed to rubber padding. This spring is pre-compressed to take vertical axial loads (on the face of the spring).

 

Advantages of rubber suspension:

1. Extremely light in weight.
2. Very good vibration damping capacity.
3. Higher energy storage per unit weight.
4. No noise or chatter (due to absence of metal parts).
5. No problems of corrosion.

Disadvantages of rubber suspension:

1. Lower load carrying capacity. Hence not suitable for heavy commercial vehicles.
2. Strengthening or guiding material is required in addition to rubber suspension
3. Lower resistance to heat or high temperature operations.

Applications of rubber suspension:

1. Small passenger cars.
2. Small utility vehicles used in factory premises for transportation of light goods.
3. Such suspension systems are usually costly and hence preferred on high end passenger cars or heavy commercial vehicles as well as special purpose vehicles (like military applications).
4. Inter-connected suspension system commonly used are of following types:
(i) Air suspension system (ii) Hydro elastic suspension system (iii) Hydra gas suspension system