Approaches to Minimizing Side Force of Helical Coil Springs for Riding Comfort

As the design stress of the helical coil spring is increased to reduce the mass, the problem of riding comfort has come to the fore. To find out the solutions which compatibly satisfy the riding comfort and the mass reduction, we made the study of the side force of helical coil springs by using the finite element code ABAQUS.

In the present analysis, the specifications of the spring which minimize the side force are discussed. Moreover, the effect of the tilting angle of a spring seat and of the kinematic condition of the spring on the side force is investigated.