Dynamic Damping Control (DDC) - Technology.

Dynamic Damping Control (DDC) is a new technology that controls the working of suspension system of a vehicle electronically.  Normally the suspensions of a bike or a car works mechanically and they are not controlled by any other means. They work according to a predefined alignment once fixed. But in the Dynamic Damping Control (DDC) system, the valves inside the suspension are controlled electronically which enables to close and open itself according to different riding situations for providing better stability and comfortable ride.

The conventional system is a fixed one and it works the same for all real world situations like surface terrain, speed, turning, cornering, braking, accelerating etc. Let us see here in simple how an ordinary hydraulic damper works so it gives an idea to understand about the DDC technology.

The hydraulic damper- the one which is used as front fork suspension in motorcycles and also used in cars and trucks enclosed with springs called the Macpherson struts. These hydraulic dampers contains oil with two tubes sliding inside one another and it also has a piston inside.

Whenever a vehicle reaches a bumpy road or while cornering, the lower tube or mount takes the pressure and pushes it upward. During the upward movement, small valves in the piston opens due to higher pressure and transfers the oil to the upper side called as compression cycle. When the oil reaches the above position, a high pressure side is created on the upper tube or mount which forces the oil again to the lower side by using the valves in the piston called as extension cycle. The movements are equally balanced so it always regains its original position.

These dampers work depending only on the road conditions and they cannot adjust itself to different changing behaviours like sudden acceleration, braking, cornering etc. In order to resolve these factors the DDC technology is used.

DDC is the technology used by BMW. This technology can be otherwise called as adjustable damping since the dampers are adjusted electronically by a control unit similar to a working of fuel injection system.

BMW Motorrad series using DDC technology.

Damper with electronically controlled valves.

The DDC uses specially designed dampers which has electronically controlled valve system inside it. These valves are controlled by a DDC control unit. while braking, the DDC electronically activates the front damping valve proportionally to the deceleration, hence it provides optimal damping force and increases stability. When taking an 'S' curve, both front and rear damping valves are actuated on the first part of the curve. As the motorcycle becomes upright, the valves return to their initial levels. The damping valves are opened or actuated again for the second corner.

As the bike leans during cornering, the suspension is gradually firmed up relative to the bike's lean angle making the cornering safe and stable. During low speeds the valves are actuated narrowly and it widens up as it reaches higher speeds.When the rider accelerates, the bike automatically activates stronger damping at the rear suspension to prevent squat and wheelie effects and help to get the power down more effectively. Likewise, as the rider brakes, the front forks receive increased damping to help combat stoppies  and keeps the bike in stable position. Thus the suspensions are activated depending on the different riding situations.

The DDC system takes data from a number of other systems and sensors into account to decide when to make suspension adjustments, which includes

•     The bike's ECU - whether the vehicle is accelerating or decelerating.
•     ABS sensors at each wheel - monitors speed.
•     Spring travel sensors at the forks and shock absorbers - determines the surface terrain.
•     Tilt and roll sensors.
•     Lean angle sensor - during cornering and bending.

Within the shortest of times the system evaluates a huge amount of information and selects the high precision suspension configuration best suited to the situation. 

BMW Motorrad series- HP2 Sport

This provides a considerable boost to active riding safety, agility, operating comfort and riding fun. The suspension damping system DDC will be introduced to the first BMW Motorrad series motorcycles in the near future.