Vibracoustic supplies 'advanced air springs' for Audi e-tron GT

Weinheim, Germany – Vibracoustic has supplied its advanced three-chamber air springs to automotive major Audi for fitment on its e-tron GT model, the supplier announced 19 March.

The air springs use a “complex design with built-in safety features and silent valve switching for the air chambers,” while securing comfort and driving dynamics, said Vibracoustic.

High-performance battery electric vehicles (BEVs) pose a number of significant challenges to car makers, including the heavy weight of large batteries to accommodate longer range.

In addition, the quiet running of BEV powertrains means that drivers and occupants can more easily detect mechanical noises and vibrations.

According to Vibracoustic, its three-chamber air springs provide “high ride comfort and dynamic performance while also protecting the battery.”

A key technical issue, it noted, was the “tight packaging” in electric vehicles that makes it difficult to achieve the volume within the air springs required for enhanced comfort.

To tackle this challenge, the company’s engineers designed “an intricate solution”, comprising four polymer components.

The product is manufactured using a “hot gas welding” process, which Vibracoustic said is “instrumental in enabling complex component manufacturing”.

Battery safety, meanwhile, was enhanced by the integration of innovative ‘plugs’ in the design of the part: preventing suspension struts from impacting the battery pack in the event of a crash.

To address noise, Vibracoustic switched valves within the air springs, particularly for the rear axle, where the spring is closer to the cabin.

As part of the process, the relative position of the valves within the air spring was optimised, with a different solution for the front and rear.

The three-chamber air spring has three switchable air volumes, allowing it to produce four different stiffness rates depending on the driving situation.

The more chambers are activated, the lower the stiffness is and the higher the comfort, explained Vibracoustic.

The air springs can switch between four modes, ranging from a comfortable mode, using all chambers’ volume to a very dynamic mode, using the smallest volume, for which the stiffness more than doubles.

The system, continued Vibracoustic, uses body- and wheel-acceleration sensors to enable individual damper control at each axle: adjusting according to driver input, road conditions, and the road surface.

The system can also adjust its height based on the driving situation and speed, moving between a total range of 60mm, the company noted.