National Institute of Technology Calicut

Department of Mechanical Engineering

1. Find the geometry that would be necessary to achieve 100% anti-squat in the rear suspension,
and the geometry to achieve full anti-pitch for the solid-axle, rear-wheel- drive vehicle described
below. Also, find the pitch rate (degrees pitch/g acceleration) when the geometry is set for 100%
anti-squat in the rear suspension.
The front and rear suspension spring rates are 285 and 169 lb/in, respectively (rates are a
combination of the left and right sides of each suspension). The C.G. height is 20.5 in and the
wheelbase is 108.5 in.

2. Determine the acceleration pitch rate for the following front-drive vehicle with no anti-lift in
the front suspension, and its value if full anti-lift was designed into the suspension. Essential
data are—C.G. height of 20.5 in, wheelbase of 108.5 in, a design weight of 4549 lb, and front
and rear spring rates of 287 and 174 lb/in, respectively.

3. Determine the pitch (angular motion) and bounce (up-and-down linear motion) frequencies and
the location of oscillation centers (nodes) of a car with the following data (see Figure (1a)):
Mass (m) = 1000 kg Radius of gyration (r)= 0.9 m Distance between front axle and C.G. (l1 )
= 1.0 m Distance between rear axle and C.G. (l2 = 1.5 m Front spring stiffness (kf ) = 18 kN/m
Rear spring stiffness (kr ) = 22 kN/m

4. Derive the equations of motion of the system shown in Figure 1b.

(a) (b)

Figure 1
5. One of the wheels and leaf springs of a car, traveling over a rough road, is shown in Figure 2a.
For simplicity, all the wheels can be assumed to be identical and the system can be idealized
as shown in Figure 2a. The car has a mass of m1 = 1000 kg and the leaf springs have a total
stiffness of k1 = 400 kN/m. The wheels and axles have a mass of m2 = 300 kg and the tires
have a stiffness of k2 = 500 kN/m. If the road surface varies sinusoidally with an amplitude of
Y = 0.1 m and a period of l = 6 m, find the critical velocities of the car.

(a) (b)

Figure 2

6. Figure 2b shows a one degree of freedom model of a motor vehicle traveling in the horizontal
direction. Find the relative displacement of the vehicle as it travels over a road bump of the
form y(s) = Y sin(πs/d).

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