Magnetic suspension vs. air suspension, what are the differences and which one is more advanced?

Nowadays, car manufacturers always mention the terms air suspension or electromagnetic suspension when releasing new cars. These two configurations are mostly found in some mid-to-high-end models. In the past, they were only available on models above 500,000 yuan. Now, after the manufacturing cost has been reduced, these two configurations can also be seen on cars above 300,000 yuan. So what is the difference between air suspension and electromagnetic suspension, and which one is more worth buying?

What is air suspension?

As the name implies, air suspension is likely to be related to air, and this is indeed the case. Traditional suspension uses physical springs for vibration reduction, while air suspension replaces physical springs with air bags. Because the gas can be controlled, the height and damping of the suspension can be controlled as long as the air pressure in the air bag. Since the adjustable range is not only very large, but also highly refined, sensors are used to automatically match the corresponding height and damping. For example, when encountering uneven road conditions, the air spring can automatically adjust the corresponding damping to ensure that the occupants in the car always maintain a relatively stable state. When cornering, the outer suspension is often squeezed and the body will tilt outward. With air springs, damping can be applied to achieve body balance.

However, there are many types of air suspension. The air suspension of more than 300,000 yuan is definitely not the same as the air suspension used in a 1 million yuan car. For example, air suspension is divided into single-chamber and multi-chamber. Single-chamber air suspension can only adjust the height of the vehicle, and cannot achieve soft and hard adjustment. Because there is only one air chamber inside the airbag, it cannot adjust the height and damping at the same time.

The multi-chamber air suspension has multiple chambers in the airbag, some have two, some have three, so the multi-chamber air suspension can adjust the height and damping through the mutual coordination of different chambers.

What is electromagnetic suspension?

The function of electromagnetic suspension is also to change the damping, but the structure retains the traditional spring and instead adds magnetorheological fluid to the shock absorber cylinder.

We do not need to know about the composition of magnetorheological fluid. The working principle of electromagnetic suspension is to change the magnetic field through electric current, and then rearrange the suspended phase particles inside the magnetorheological fluid, forming a chain or cluster structure with a certain shear yield stress, which will increase with the increase of magnetic field strength. When the limit is reached, the internal shear yield stress will also reach the maximum, at which time the magnetorheological fluid will become a solid-like state, and the suspension damping will also increase accordingly.

Because all damping changes are made through magnetic fields, which are formed by electric currents, the electromagnetic suspension damping switching speed is very fast, which also allows it to change damping in real time. For example, the Mercedes-Benz Magic Carpet system collects road information through cameras and sensors, and then adjusts the suspension damping according to different road conditions.

Summarize

In general, there is no real advantage or disadvantage between the two suspension systems. Electromagnetic suspension is generally used in performance cars that are more focused on driving control due to its excellent response speed. Air suspension is more often used in some family SUVs or business cars that pursue riding comfort. Of course, air suspension can be used in combination with electromagnetic suspension, so you can have the best of both worlds, but the cost is very high, and it is mostly used in some top luxury cars.