GB571028A - Improvements in or relating to suspension devices for motor vehicles - Google Patents

Abstract

571,028. Vehicle spring suspensions; shock-absorbers. BALLAMY, L. M., and SHEEPSHANKS, R. H. July 30, 1943, No. 12430. [Classes 108 (ii) and 108 (iii)] In a motor vehicle suspension of the kind in which a pair of co-axial wheels 11, 12 are independently sprung, each wheel being carried at the outer end of a transverse half-axle 13 or 14 pivoted at its inner end 15 or 16 about a longitudinal axis, the half-axles are urged downwardly by resilient means of the fluid pressure, telescopic type containing air or other gas under pressure. As shown, the resilient means comprise suspension units of the telescopic oleo-pneumatic type pivotally connected to the vehicle body 10 by brackets 25, 26 and to the half-axles at points 27, 28. Each unit consists of a cylinder 29 containing a plunger 30 having a piston head 33 formed with passages 34 adapted to be closed by an annular damping valve 35 slidable on a central stem 36, a fine axial passage 37 in the stem forming the sole means of communication between the liquidfilled cylinder space 38 and the plunger space 39 when the valve is closed. A floating piston 40 slidable in the plunger separates the space 39 from a space 41 filled with compressed air. When the unit is compressed, liquid is expelled freely from the cylinder space 38 through the passages 34 into the space 39 forcing the piston 40 downwards against the pressure of the air in the space 41 while, during rebound, due to the air pressure, flow of liquid from the space 39 to the space 38 occurs only through the passage 37, the valve 35 closing the passages 34. To prevent lateral canting of the body, a pair of auxiliary suspension devices 42, 43 also of the oleo-pneumatic type, or alternatively constituted by hydraulic or other shockabsorbers, are pivotally connected between pivots at 44, 45 on the body and the top ends of brackets 46, 47 formed on or attached to the half-axles, the devices being inclined at an angle of less than 45 degrees to the horizontal. Two or more compressed-gas suspension units may be provided for each half-axle and, additionally, other spring means such as a torsion bar, as described in Specification 444,273, or a centrally pivoted transverse spring, as described in Specification 534 079. For steering purposes, the stub axles 19, 20 of the wheels 11, 12 are connected with the half-axles by king pin joints 21, 22 and the wheels steered by the means described in Specification 429,627.