Hydraulically damped dual sleeve air spring suspension

Patent · Tue Apr 07 04:00:00 EDT 1987

OSTI ID:6546143

Cameron, D S

This patent describes a suspension strut for operatively mounting a road wheel assembly to a vehicle body and for pneumatically suspending the body with respect to the road wheel assembly comprising: an elongated support tube having one end connected to the road wheel assembly and extending upwardly therefrom; shock absorber means operatively mounted in the support tube including an oil-filled cylinder tube mounted therein; a piston mounted for reciprocal movement in the cylinder tube and having a piston rod extending upwardly therefrom; an upper piston rod sealing member supported by the cylinder tube which slidably contacts and receives the piston rod to hydraulically seal the cylinder tube; an upper mount having radial inner and outer elastomeric parts; the inner elastomeric part resiliently connecting the piston rod to the vehicle body; a curved carrier having a body disposed around a portion of the piston rod and a top supported adjacent the radial outer elastomeric part of the upper mount for transmitting suspension loads thereto; an inner rolling lobe air sleeve having one end connected to the support tube and the other end connected to the lower end of the carrier; an outer piston fixed to the support tube, an outer rolling lobe air spring formed by an outer elastomeric sleeve having an upper end connected to the top of the carrier and a lower end connected to the outer piston; the outer piston being a profiled cup extending below the outer rolling lobe air spring and cooperating with the sleeves and the carrier to define a pressurized air chamber pneumatically isolated from the sealing member supported by the cylinder tube and from the upper mount.

• Assignee: General Motors Corp., Detroit, MI
• Patent Number(s): US 4655438
• OSTI ID: 6546143
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS
330601* -- Vehicle Design Factors-- Body & Chassis
CONTROL EQUIPMENT
DESIGN
ELASTOMERS
EQUIPMENT
FLUID MECHANICS
HYDRAULIC CONTROL DEVICES
LAND TRANSPORT
MECHANICAL STRUCTURES
MECHANICS
PISTONS
PNEUMATICS
POLYMERS
ROAD TRANSPORT
SEALS
SHOCK ABSORBERS
SUPPORTS
TRANSPORT
VEHICLES
WHEELS