Absorption Capacity of the Tire
Apart from the springing capacity of the tyre, its absorption capacity also assumes special meaning, since it is in direct relation to the tire comfort.
The term absorption capacity hence characterizes the property of the tire to absorb unevenness, which are short in relation to the tire contact length, without vertical movement of the axle /9/. In relation to such unevenness, the tire behaves along a relatively softer characteristic when compared to an equivalent high compression of the entire tire contact patch. The absorption capacity is influenced mainly by the rigidity of the sidewall.
Tire Damping
Tire damping is a form of material damping, which leads to a rise in the temperature of the tire and increases with the number of plies and the material mass in the tire. The damping. factor kW is thereby not constant and depends on several influencing parameters, such as the radial spring stiffness of the tire.
The influence of the excitation frequency of unevenness can be described based on experimental tests, using the following damping law /20/. The various characteristic parameters related to damping are indicated above.
A damping rate of DWres of 0.05 is not sufficient for the damping of the wheel masses. For a satisfactory absorption of the wheel oscillations, a damping rate of DW of approximately 0.4 is required which means that the hydraulic vibration damper for the body must also simultaneously function as the wheel damper.

This brings us to the end of the first lecture. The next lecture introduces the various elements of the suspension system, particularly, the various designs of springs.