If shock absorbers are meant to absorb shock, why do we drive slower through pot holes?
In: Engineering
Because they can’t absorb more force than they are capable of.
Shock absorbers and suspension come in many different forms but they can all be understood by looking at a spring.
If you squeeze the spring between your fingers it compresses, and the force it contains pushes your fingers apart.
If you squeeze hard or fast enough you overcome the springs force and push the two ends of the spring together to make it flat.
You have made it absorb more force than it is capable of.
It’s the same with shock absorbers. If you squeeze them too hard or too fast you overcome their force and make them flat, which means they no longer absorb any shock and it all gets passed into the car itself.
So we go slow on rough ground to try to stop that happening.
Latest Answers