SEM -VII Descriptive Type Question
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MODULE NO 3
Q1 - Explain the difference between sprung and un-sprung mass.
Sprung mass
• Sprung mass (or sprung weight), in a vehicle with a suspension, such as an
automobile, motorcycle, or a tank, is the portion of the vehicle's total mass that
is supported by the suspension, including in most applications approximately
half of the weight of the suspension itself.
• The sprung mass typically includes the body, frame, the internal components,
passengers, and cargo, but does not include the mass of the components at the
other end of the suspension components (including the wheels, wheel bearings,
brake rotors, calipers, and/or continuous tracks (also called caterpillar tracks), if
any), which are part of the vehicle's unsprung mass.
• The larger the ratio of sprung mass to unsprung mass, the less the body and
vehicle occupants are affected by bumps, dips, and other surface imperfections
such as small bridges. However, a large sprung mass to unsprung mass ratio
can also be deleterious to vehicle control.
Unsprung mass
• In a ground vehicle with a suspension, the unsprung mass (or the unsprung
weight) is the mass of the suspension, wheels or tracks (as applicable), and
other components directly connected to them, rather than supported by the