European Journal of Science and Technology (EJOSAT), sa.25, ss.12-22, 2021 (Hakemli Dergi)
In terms of vehicle dynamics, the suspension system must maintain good ride quality and handling performance against road
irregularities, especially at high driving speeds. Air springs have been used in commercial vehicles and buses for many years to
maintain ride height and increase vehicle comfort regardless of load. Due to the air springs' material structure, they are not subjected
to unidirectional stresses during operation and exhibit non-linear behavior. The composite structure consists of four layers with cord
fabric wrapped at opposite angles as two layers between inner and outer tires of different thickness. Therefore, the changes caused by
loading alone are difficult to determine empirically. In this study, the static and dynamic damping properties of air springs, which are a
part of the air suspension system, were investigated by both experimental and finite element methods. While determining the static
and dynamic damping properties, the reaction force values formed in the air springs due to different pressure and displacement were
used. Differences were observed in spring constants obtained from experimental and analytical studies during spring back after
compression. After reaching the minimum height, a deviation of about 10% in the spring constant was observed when the backward
movement started, and then a deviation of less than 6% was obtained. In experimental tests and analytical studies, it has been
observed that the deflection values between the spring constants obtained as a result of instantaneous loading remain below 4% and
that FEA analysis can be used effectively in air spring analysis.