Well then, kevlar is right out; I can't see how I'd fasten it without bending or compression. I wasn't referring to mixing it WITH rubber, though!
300% elongation seems hard to use effectively in a system with ~6" travel. I'd need "springs" that were a few inches long even if doing 1:1...
Er- whoops, my spring rates assume only 1 inch of sag. With that much travel, I'd probably run more like 1.5 - 2 inches sag. So, rates would be maybe 75% given; 450-650 for compression, and maybe 250 for tension.
By the by, are there better elastic tension materials than rubber (or steel spring)? I know there climber (Dan Osman) who did some massive free jumps using climbing rope, which typically has an elongation of up to 30% and (obviously) huge strength to weight, so it seems to have potential. Not...
> What spring rate do you want at the wheel?
I'm looking for 5-7" travel, 300-400 lbs per wheel. Target weight distribution is 50/50 front to rear, probably with a bit more travel in front than rear.
> what is the motion ratio of your spring mechanism?
Entirely TBD, as its a custom...
Yeah, the failure mode was a concern; I'd figured to have safety cables to prevent suspension collapse and a wrap around the rubber, and in any case the damping unit would likely be run under compression and limit the max suspension compression.
I'd suspected the total mass of rubber needed...
Nope, not a new idea at all. In my research on suspension, I've read about motorcycles that used rubber (unsure if in tension or compression) as the spring element. I've seen proposed (and actual) suspension designs that pull against leaf springs (of various materials) rather than pushing...
As a general question, why don't suspension systems use tensioned materials as opposed to flexing bits of metal in compression?
The specific application I have in mind is motorcycling. I'm going working up a custom motorcycle design and build. One feature I've got is the design would make it...
