Coil spring and shock absorber

Spiral spring is a buffer element, named after its shape like spiral. It has the advantages of no lubrication, no dirt, small weight and less space. When the impact force of the road surface to the wheel is transmitted to the coil spring, the coil spring deforms, absorbs the kinetic energy of the wheel and converts it into the potential energy (potential energy) of the coil spring, so as to alleviate the impact of the ground impact on the vehicle body.

However, the coil spring itself does not consume energy. The spring with stored potential energy will return to its original shape and change the potential energy into kinetic energy again. If springs are used alone without vibration damping elements, some light vehicles will move up and down continuously after being impacted like acrobats jumping on a “trampoline”.

The shock absorber is shaped like a cylinder and is a vibration elimination element. Its working form has been introduced in “automobile suspension”, which uses its own oil flow resistance to consume vibration energy.

When the oil cylinder piston in the shock absorber moves under the action of external force, the oil flows through the damping hole at high speed, consumes kinetic energy through friction and converts it into heat, so as to weaken the impact of the ground on the vehicle until it disappears. However, the energy consumption takes time. In order to produce effective friction, the hole must be very small. Due to the limited liquid flowing per unit time and the limited friction loss, the vibration damper can not eliminate the vibration in a short time. If the shock absorber is used alone without cushioning elements, the impact of the ground will be directly added to the vehicle body, making the passengers unbearable.

Therefore, the combination of coil spring and shock absorber is a clever combination in mechanics. Making full use of the characteristics of the two, it can immediately buffer the impact of the ground, drag the shock absorber piston in several back and forth processes of the coil spring, drive the oil to absorb most of the vibration energy, and make the car quickly and stably.