For commercial vehicles, Dana’s Independent Front Suspension (IFS) offers significant benefits over conventional suspension designs. The IFS consists of a new, double-wishbone design (short arm/long arm) with upper and lower ball joints, which may be used on both front- and rear-engine applications.

This design allows for independent adjustment of the vehicle’s alignment settings. In addition, the IFS has an improved “anti dive” feature that reduces front-to-back pitching during braking, especially in vehicles with air disc brakes.

The air shock assembly on the IFS offers greater load-carrying and ride-tuning capabilities than similar conventional suspension configurations. Initial testing indicates that an anti-roll bar is not necessary because of the position of the air shock assembly on the suspension. The shock absorber and the air bag can be separated for easy vehicle maintenance.

The sub-frame consists of an upper and a lower section. The components on the lower section are common regardless of vehicle application, while the components on the upper section can be modified for a specific vehicle. Additional dampening material between the upper and lower sub-frame members also enhance driver comfort. Components may be added to the sub-frame based on customer needs, such as frame cross-members or steering gears.

The lack of relative motion between the engine and the sub-frame allows the engine to be positioned lower relative to the chassis, improving stability and driver visibility.

Fast-Track Technology

For the IFS, Dana engineers used finite element analysis (FEA) and advanced dynamics and mechanical systems (ADAMS) to electronically design the individual components. These technologies give Dana a significant advantage over its competitors in terms of speed-to-market with new products. Amazingly, the IFS was ready for customer approval after just one prototype.

Dana's sophisticated computerized prototyping capabilities enable it to go from concept to production in only five months