Our project’s goal is to virtually eliminate these existing, inefficient suspension systems in today’s cars by creating a magnetically levitating suspension, making contact with the body of the vehicle only at a single, low-friction point.

Our project is centered around narrowing down an array of parameters to find the most efficient combination of settings, materials and design systems to achieve our suspension system. These parameters range from specific factors within the bearing systems, the rod used as the axle, the array of magnets as well as the final design of the housing. Specifically, we must narrow down the parameters by testing the various bearing systems. This includes the design of the system: radial ball bearing system vs. point-contact bearing system, the materials: Steel Alloy, Stainless Steel, Carbon Steel Combinations, Ceramics and Diamonds, number of contact points: single point and double point systems – we must decide whether to introduce contact points for the axle at only a single end, or if a second contact point at the other end will be necessary to achieve stability. By deciding the best combination of these parameters, we can create the most efficient suspension system. In order to create an empirically accurate data-collection system, we will be fabricating a new housing system, specifically a range of walls (which will be serving as our contact point). The walls will have 2 standardized types – the point bearing system type and the traditional ball-bearing systems. We will pick a standard size, as each type has a range of sizes, mainly based off of the given size that will give us the largest range of materials to test.

We will be experimenting with diamond bearings, magnetic arrays comprised of both hard and electromagnets, as well as different designs of 3D fabricated housing systems

If successful, our project could be used in cars of the future, eliminating a large portion of the current friction that cars’ axles undergo – creating highly efficient cars that contribute less and less to the carbon footprint, capable of going much further on a single tank or charge.