Dual chamber air suspension

This issue introduces another suspension type that is concerned by more and more domestic car companies - double-chamber air suspension.

Air suspension chassis layout

The well-designed and well-adjusted air suspension provides a soft and comfortable driving experience for the driver and passenger on most roads and working conditions. In recent years, the domestic passenger car air suspension industry has developed rapidly, and many car companies, such as: Ideal, Weilai, Xiaopeng, Lantu, polar Krypton, Lynk & Co, Volvo, BYD, Gaohe, Zhiji, Avita, Chery, etc., have launched their own air suspension models.

Before 2022, the vast majority of domestic air suspension models are equipped with single-chamber air suspension, and since 2022, the number of car companies incorporating dual-chamber air suspension into the configuration of the model has begun to increase. At present, the models equipped with dual cavity suspension have been launched, such as Xiaopeng G9, polar Krypton 009ME, Lynk & Co 09EMP, Volvo EM90 and so on.

Models with dual chamber air suspension

Double-chamber air suspension refers to the air spring is provided with a main and secondary two chambers, and the only channel between the two chambers is opened and closed by a solenoid valve control. When the channel is open, the main chamber and the secondary chamber are connected, and the effective working chamber volume is the sum of the volumes of the main and secondary chambers. The larger volume brings a softer suspension, which is a low-stiffness mode. When the channel is closed, the secondary chamber is no longer the effective working chamber, and the effective working chamber volume is only the main chamber volume, and the smaller volume brings more "hard" suspension, which is a high stiffness mode. Generally, there is a stiffness difference of 40~50% between the high stiffness mode and the low stiffness mode of the double chamber air suspension.

With such significant stiffness adjustable space, the dual-chamber air suspension can be used to improve the vehicle's driving and safety performance. For example, when emergency braking, the front axle air spring can be switched to a high stiffness mode, thereby reducing the degree of forward "diving" of the body; Another example: when turning at high speed, the air spring can be switched to the high stiffness mode, thereby reducing the degree of the body tilt to the outside. This improves the driving safety and ride comfort of the vehicle. The following figure shows Kong Hui's modified double-cavity suspension technology demonstration model, respectively in low stiffness mode and high stiffness mode, at the same speed of 30km/h, the difference in the roll Angle.

Comparison of low and high stiffness outside angles at 30km/h

In addition, with the dual-chamber air suspension, its high and low stiffness modes can correspond to the vehicle's "sport mode" and "comfort mode" respectively, bringing a very different driving style to the vehicle.