While not a Corvette feature yet, does anyone have any knowledge of what makes this technology work? Is it something that can be retrofitted to an existing chassis?
tc
BOSE suspension video
tc
BOSE suspension video
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Re: Anyone up on how the BOSE suspension works?
"A linear electromagnetic motor is installed at each wheel of a Bose equipped vehicle. The control algorithms operate by observing sensor measurements taken from around the car and sending commands to the motors." "The linear electromagnetic motor is used as a telescoping suspension strut along with a two-piece lower control arm. A torsion bar spring connected to one end of the lower arm supports the weight of the vehicle. The wheel damper keeps the tire from bouncing and losing contact with the road"
If you watch the youtube video to the end you will see the car "jumping" over something about the size of a parking stop barrier. It looks amazing but VERY expensive.
Brian -
Re: Anyone up on how the BOSE suspension works?
When was it - 15 to 20 years ago - when "active suspension" was all the rage and forecast to replace conventional springs and shocks? Lotus was big into this technology, and it was about the time GM bought them for what turned out to be a rather brief period of ownership. This Bose system is basically a variation of the same idea using linear induction motors rather than hydraulic cylinders.
There were a couple of "semi-active" suspension systems put in to production in the early nineties. I believe it was a brief option on the Infiniti Q45 - used conventional springs to support the curb weight but had active hydraulic cylinders to control suspension motion while driving. It was expensive, and I don't think many were built.
The whole idea basically died out. Why? Too expensive, too complicated (both mechanically and electrically), too heavy, too many things to break - reminiscent of the "air" and "hydraulic" suspensions of the past.
The current version is "active shocks", which still represent a big repair liability if one goes out, but they usually do work quite well. There are no moving parts in some systems because magnetic flux is used to vary the viscosity of a special fluid that has iron filings in it of all things. I forgot the exact name - magnetorheologic fluid - or some such thing. The C6 Couple and Convertible offer such an option - F-45 IIRC.
A good ride and handling engineer can do A LOT with conventional springs and shocks. It's a matter of experience and setting up the spring and shock rates for the target application. So your road car is going to need a different setup than a Cup car at Daytona.
Engineers love to play and come up with whiz-bang ideas, but most of the time, the KISS principle is the best design philosophy.
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