GenShock

GenShock

One of the invention in the field mechanical engineering is developing a system called GenShock, which represents a shock absorber that has the ability to partially power a vehicle driving through pothole-plagued locations. The device can also smooth the ride.

It's only a matter of time before cars' suspensions become a part of the electric power-regeneration process. Levant Power(a US based company) has been developing GenShock technology, the first active suspension system with the ability to recapture energy, and ZF Friedrichshafen AG has entered a partnership with the Massachusetts-based company to build it.

Genshock is the first active suspension system that generates energy from bumps in the road. Each shock absorber houses a compact electric motor, electronic control unit, and electrohydraulic gear pump. When a car drives over a rough surface, the moving shock absorbers generate electricity that helps power the car’s electrical systems. Genshock, has another advantage: It can lift individual wheels off the ground, allowing for jack-less tire changes.

The principle behind the system is to recoup lost energy from the motions of the suspension and then feed that power back into the car’s electrical system

While a vehicle travels through a rough surface, it undergoes vertical displacement, which is unpleasant for passengers and also it can degrade vehicle over time. In modern vehicles, set of springs and shock absorbers known as a suspension system serves to minimize these unwanted effects. Spring absorbs absorbs kinetic energy involved in vertical motion of the tire while the shock absorber acts as a damper on the spring. Typical shock absorbers convert spring energy into thermal energy, releasing wasted heat into the environment.

The system from ZF and Levant uses active dampers that change the pressure inside the shock based on the type of road surface, and a new valve mounted outside the shock, along with a control unit, gear pump, and electric motor, controls the flow of fluid, smoothing out the ride. Active suspension that employs sensors and a central computer to modulate travel at each corner of the car – rather than having four independent dampers – GenShock is fitted to the outside of a ZF shock absorber.

In Most modern vehicles they use hydraulic shock absorbers. Here a piston slides back and forth in a cylinder filled with a viscous fluid, forcing it through a series of flow valves and tiny orifices. As the fluid passes through the small orifices it experiences viscous friction, causing the fluid to heat. This  hydraulic fluid spurts into a turbine, which afterwards starts rotating as fluid runs through it. In such a way the turbine powers a small electric generator. The rougher the road surface, the more movement the damper experiences, which generates more electricity. And is fed into the vehicle’s power supply system.

Continuous Damping Control (CDC) system is already used by the likes of Audi, Bentley, BMW, Ferrari, Mercedes-Benz, Porche, Rolls Royce and Volkswagen.

·         GenShock aims to combine the ride comfort in luxury cars with the dynamic handling characteristics of a sports car.

·         GenShock carefully controls the body movement of a car, keeping it planted on the road, while simultaneously offering unprecedented ride comfort

·         GenShock valves and electronics enable the damper to push and pull at remarkably high speeds with exceptional authority and precision

·          It's capable of actively raising each individual wheel - perfect for a roadside spare-tire change.

·         System works at its peak on bumpy road, making it ideal for Indian roads.

·         It  make use of energy that is otherwise wasted

·         Technology could be used in truck, military and off-road applications

·         It generating electricity while it smooth the ride more effectively than conventional shocks.

The GenShock system is making its debut in the military marketplace. Some trucking companies have already installed the system for testing purposes and, according to preliminary results, they already anticipate an astounding 90 percent return on their initial investment