BOSE ELECTROMAGNETIC

SUSPENSION
INDEX:

1. Abstract…………………………………………………………………..5
2. Introduction………………………………………………………………6
3. Suspension……………………………………………………………......7
4. Challenges……………………………………………………………......8
5. Solution………………………………………………………………......9
6. Working………………………………………………………………. ..10
7. Bose suspension front corner module………………………………......11
8. Linear electromagnetic motor…………………………………………..12
9. Linear motor…………………………………………………………….13
10. Research vehicle……………………………………………………….. 14
11. Comparison of factory installed and Bose suspension system………….14
12. Body pitch on braking and accelerating………………………………...15
13. Vehicle performance…………………………………………………....16
14. Features …………………. .…………………………………………... 16
15.Disadvantages…………………………………………………………..17
16. Future prospects………………………………………………………...17
17. Conclusion……………………………………………………………...17
18. Reference……………………………………………………………….18

1
Abstract:

Now a day’s comfort and control are two major aspects in field of design and
manufacturing. At present condition spring and damper system are used as shock
absorber in automobiles. As concerned to comport and control their system are
lagging to provide optimum level of performance. With view of increase the
comfort and control electromagnetic suspension system introduced to fulfill the
requirement of modern days. This seminar intended to explain the resurgence of
interest in the suspension system in recent year and outline the significant
challenges that lie a head in commercializing suspension system.

2
Introduction:

Bose, mention that word and music comes to mind specifically, audio systems for
upscale cars, as well as expensive but worth-the-cost systems for the home.
Business travelers might even connect that name with noise-canceling headphones
that reduce some of the stress of flying. What one doesn't associate with Bose is
automobile suspension. By and large, today’s vehicle suspensions use hydraulic
dampers (shock absorbers) and springs that are charged with the tasks of absorbing
bumps, minimizing the car's body motions while accelerating, braking and turning
and keeping the tires in contact with the road surface. Typically, these goals are
somewhat at odds with each other. Luxury cars are great at swallowing bumps and
providing a plush ride, but handling usually suffers as the car is prone to pitch and
dive under acceleration and braking, as well as body lean under cornering .On the
other end of the spectrum, stiffly sprung sports cars exhibit minimal body motion
as the car is driven aggressively, as cornering is flat, but the ride quality generally
suffers. In an ongoing research project that has spanned over 24 years Bose has
created a unique electromagnetic suspension system for automobiles that is close to
commercial release and is set to replace traditional shocks and springs with
electronic actuators. "This is the first time a suspension system is the same for a
sports car and for a luxury car", said its creator, Dr Amar Bose, chairman and head
of technical design. The result is a ride that is level and bump free over incredibly
rough terrain and when the vehicle turns in to corners.

3
Suspension:
The main objectives of the suspension system are:

• To prevent the road shocks from being transmitted to the vehicle parts,
thereby providing suitable riding and cushioning effect to the occupants.
• To keep the vehicle stable while in motion by providing good road holding
during driving cornering and braking.
• Provides safe vehicle control and free of irritating vibrations and reduce
wear and tear.

The different types of suspension system which are available are mentioned below.

1. Front Suspension:

Solid I-Beam:
It’s a Non-independent design .These is used on trucks and other large vehicles. Its
economical and simple .It has low maintenance but poor handling.

Twin I-Beam:
Found on many Ford trucks. Its Forged, cast, or stamped axles. Has excellent load
capacity. It requires special equipment for alignment adjustments.

Mac Pherson Strut:

One of the most popular systems .It has one Control Arm. Ideal for front wheel
drive. Light weight and economical. Good ride quality and handling
characteristics. It’s used for both front and rear suspensions.

Short-Long Arm:

4
Independent design uses an upper and a lower control arm uses either torsion bars
or coil springs Good ride quality and handling characteristics Heavy and complex
design requires a lot of space.

2. Rear Suspension:

Non Independent Rear Leaf Springs:

It’s a non-independent design Similar to front solid I-beam axle. Used for large
load carrying capacity.

Non Independent Rear Coil Springs:

It’s a non-independent design .Uses coils and control arms instead of leaf springs.
Has good load carrying capacity.

Trailing Arm:
It’s an Independent Design Uses individual lower control arms. Uses coil springs
and shocks for good ride quality.

Beam:
Non-independent design Stamped beam axles. Uses coil springs and trailing arms.
Used for light and simple design.

Challenges:

Every automotive suspension has two goals: passenger comfort and vehicle
control. Isolating the vehicle’s passengers from road disturbances like bumps or
potholes provides comfort. Control is achieved by keeping the car body from
rolling and pitching excessively, and maintaining good contact between the tire
and the road.
Unfortunately, these goals are in conflict. In a luxury sedan the suspension is
usually designed with an emphasis on comfort, but the result is a vehicle that rolls
and pitches while driving and during turning and braking. In sports cars, where the
emphasis is on control, the suspension is designed to reduce roll and pitch, but
comfort is sacrificed. Bose engineers took a unique approach to solving this
problem, and the result is an entirely new approach to suspension design.

5
Solution:

In 1980, Bose founder and CEO Dr. Amar Bose conducted a

mathematical study to determine the optimum possible performance of an
automotive suspension, ignoring the limitations of any existing suspension
hardware. The result of this 5-year study indicated that it was possible to achieve
performance that was a large step above anything available. After evaluating
conventional and variable spring/damper systems as well as hydraulic approaches,
it was determined that none had the combination of speed, strength, and efficiency
that is necessary to provide the desired results. The study led to electromagnetics
as the one approach that could realize the desired suspension characteristics.

The
Bose

suspension required significant advancements in four key disciplines: linear

electromagnetic motors, power amplifiers, control algorithms, and computation
speed. Bose took on the challenge of the first three disciplines and bet on
developments that industry would make on the fourth item. The above figure
shows the front module of a BOSE suspension. Prototypes of the Bose suspension
have been installed in standard production vehicles. These research vehicles have
been tested on a wide variety of roads, on tracks, and on durability courses.

6
Working:

The Bose system uses a linear electromagnetic motor (L.E.M.) at each wheel,
in lieu of a conventional shock and spring setup. The L.E.M. has the ability to
extend (as if into a pothole) and retract (as if over a bump) with much greater
speed than a fluid damper (taking just milliseconds). These lightning-fast reflexes
and precise movement allow the wheel's motion to be so finely controlled that the
body of the car remains level, regardless of the goings-on at the wheel level.

The L.E.M. can also counteract the body motion of a car while accelerating,
braking and cornering, giving the driver a greater sense of control and passengers
less of a need for Dramamine. To further the smooth ride goal, wheel dampers
inside each wheel hub smooth out small road imperfections, isolating even those
nuances from the passenger compartment. Torsion bars take care of supporting the
vehicle, allowing the Bose system to concentrate on optimizing handling and ride
dynamics.
A power amplifier supplies the juice to the L.E.M.s. The amplifier is a
regenerative design that uses the compression force to send power back through
the amplifier. Thanks to this efficient layout, the Bose suspension uses only about a
third of the power of a vehicle’s air conditioning system. There are a few other key
components in the system, such as control algorithms that Bose and his fellow
brainiacs developed over a few decades of crunching numbers. The target total
weight for the system is 200 pounds, a goal Bose is confident of attaining.

7
Bose suspension front corner module

The Bose suspension system installs easily into the front of the vehicle. A new
engine cradle connects the front suspension to the car body using the original
factory mounting hardware, creating a drop-in replacement module. Bose's front
suspension modules use a modified MacPherson strut layout and the rear
suspension modules use a double-wishbone linkage to attach a linear
electromagnetic motor between the vehicle body and each wheel. Torsion springs
are used to support the weight of the vehicle. In addition, the Bose suspension
includes a wheel damper at each wheel to keep the tire from bouncing as it rolls
down the road. Unlike conventional dampers, which transmit vibrations to the
vehicle occupants and sacrifice comfort, the wheel damper in the Bose system
operates without pushing against the car body, maintaining passenger comfort.

8
Linear Electromagnetic Motor:

A linear electromagnetic motor is installed at each wheel of a Bose equipped

vehicle. Inside the linear electromagnetic motor are magnets and coils of wire.
When electrical power is applied to the coils, the motor retracts and extends,
creating motion between the wheel and car body. One of the key advantages of an
electromagnetic approach is speed.

The linear electromagnetic motor responds quickly enough to counter the effects of
bumps and potholes, maintaining a comfortable ride. Additionally, the motor has
been designed for maximum strength in a small package, allowing it to put out
enough force to prevent the car from rolling and pitching during aggressive driving
maneuvers. The Bose linear electromagnetic motor offers easy two-point
mounting. The only electrical connections to the motor are for power and control.

9
Linear motor:

Linear motor is essentially a multi-phase alternating current (AC) electric

motor that has had its stator "unrolled" so that instead of producing a torque
(rotation) it produces a linear force along its length. The most common mode of
operation is as a Lorentz-type actuator, in which the applied force is linearly
proportional to the current and the magnetic field (F = qv × B). Many designs
have been put forward for linear motors, falling into two major categories, low-
acceleration and high-acceleration linear motors. Low-acceleration linear motors
are suitable for maglev trains and other ground-based transportation applications.
High-acceleration linear motors are normally quite short, and are designed to
accelerate an object up to a very high speed and then release the object, like roller
coasters. They are usually used for studies of hypervelocity collisions, as weapons,
or as mass drivers for spacecraft propulsion. The high-acceleration motors are
usually of the linear induction design (LIM) with an active three-phase winding on
one side of the air-gap and a passive conductor plate on the other side. The low-
acceleration, high speed and high power motors are usually of the linear
synchronous design (LSM), with an active winding on one side of the air-gap and
an array of alternate-pole magnets on the other side. These magnets can be
permanent magnets or energized magnets. The Transrapid Shanghai motor is an
LSM.

10
Research Vehicle:
In many of today’s production vehicles, the suspension system is comprised of
front and rear suspension modules that bolt to the underside of the vehicle. The
Bose suspension takes advantage of this configuration by creating replacement
front and rear suspension modules. Using this approach, the research team has
been able to retrofit the Bose suspension into existing production vehicles with
minimal modifications. Bose’s front suspension modules use a modified
McPherson strut layout and the rear suspension modules use a double-wishbone
linkage to attach a linear electromagnetic motor between the vehicle body and each
wheel. Torsion springs are used to support the weight of the vehicle. In addition,
the Bose suspension includes a wheel damper at each wheel to keep the tire from
bouncing as it rolls down the road. Unlike conventional dampers, which transmit
vibrations to the vehicle occupants and sacrifice comfort, the wheel damper in the
Bose suspension system operates without pushing against the car body,
maintaining passenger comfort.

Comparison of Factory Installed & BOSE Suspension System

On A Bumpy Surface
Two vehicles of the same make and model are driven over a bump course at
night. The vehicle on the top has the original factory installed suspension and
the vehicle on the bottom has a BOSE suspension system. Both vehicles are being
driven at the same speed. The lexus with the standard factory installed suspension
(below).

A Lexus with a standard suspension

Joggles as it coasts along a bumpy surface, while another Lexus with the BOSE
suspension system (below) sails along the same road unperturbed.

11
A Lexus with the Bose system

Body Roll While Cornering:

Two vehicles of the same make and model are shown performing an aggressive
cornering maneuver.

A Lexus with a standard suspension

A Lexus with the BOSE suspension

In the photo, the Lexus car without the BOSE system leans as it turns
a corner, while the car with the Bose system remains stable.
Body Pitch on braking & accelerating:
The front end of the car dips when the driver of a Lexus fitted with the
standard factory fitted suspension system slams brakes. In a Lexus with the BOSE
suspension system; drivers quickly notice the elimination of body pitch during hard

12
braking and acceleration. Professional test drivers have reported an increased sense
of control and confidence resulting from these behaviors.

Vehicle Performance:

Vehicles equipped with the Bose suspension have been tested on a variety of
roads and under many different conditions, demonstrating the comfort and control
benefits drivers will encounter during day to-day driving. In addition, the vehicles
have undergone handling and durability testing at independent proving grounds.
When test drivers execute aggressive cornering maneuvers like a lane change, the
elimination of body roll is appreciated immediately. Similarly, drivers quickly
notice the elimination of body pitch during hard braking and acceleration.
Professional test drivers have reported an increased sense of control and
confidence resulting from these behaviors. When test drivers take the Boss
suspension over bumpy roads, they report that the reduction in overall body motion
and jarring vibrations results in increased comfort and control.

Features:

 The system draws about two horsepower or one-third the load of a typical air
conditioner. While it can exert 50 kilowatts (67 horsepower) of energy to
leap a 2x6(plank) covers 49 kilowatts cushioning the landing, with the
shocks working like generators.
 Torsion bars and shock units weigh about what two conventional springs
and shocks. The controllers and upsized alternator also add some weight, but
the total should be less than that of a hydraulic active suspension.
 The system lets a vehicle ride lower at highway speeds to produce less drag
and improve handling
 To save power the system is regenerative. When the far side of a pothole
helps to push the wheel up almost all the power is recovered. The motors
momentarily become generators, shunting the recovered energy to storage,
either in the engine battery or in some other device. The system ends up
consuming one-third of the energy used by a cars air-conditioner.

13
Disadvantages:
Every system has some disadvantages attached to it.Some of the drawbacks
can be grouped as below
 The main drawback of the system is the cost.As it uses nyodinium
magnets which are costly to manufacture.Thus this makes this suspension
system costlier than any other suspension available.Thus this system can
be seen in only high end cars
 The second drawback is ,when this system breakdowns its very difficult
and costly affair to repair it .The other system available can be easily be
repaired
 The system is very complex and requires high precision machinery and
skilled workers to manufacture

Future Prospects:

Dr. Bose stated that within five years the company hopes to have the Bose
suspension offered on one or more high-end luxury cars, and thanks to the system's
modular design, it shouldn't be much of a problem to install at the factory. A
manufacturer will be chosen to co-develop a production application for sale after
three or four years. GM is expected to be the first development partner, given the
long relationship between the companies. The biggest setback would be the cost as
it is going to cost more than any suspension does now. The neodymium iron in the
magnets is the most expensive part. Expect to see electromagnetic suspensions
only on very expensive cars first, and probably never on cheap ones, though we
imagine that the cost would come down as production goes up.

14
Conclusion:

For the first time, the Bose suspension demonstrates the ability to combine in
one automobile a much smoother ride than any luxury sedan, and less roll and
pitch than any sports car. This performance results from a proprietary combination
of suspension hardware and control algorithms

15
References:

• “Electromagnetic Suspension Systems”,

http://www.bose.com/learning/project_sound/bose_suspension.jsp.

• “Bose Redefines Automobile Suspension System”, http

http://www.gizmag.com/go/3259/

• “Electronic Suspension” http://auto.howstuffworks.com/car-

suspension9.htm.

• “Future of Car Suspensions”, http://www.wikipedia.com.

16