Land vehicles – Wheeled – Running gear
Patent
1983-07-15
1985-12-10
Peters, Jr., Joseph F.
Land vehicles
Wheeled
Running gear
267 19R, 267 47, 267 54R, 267149, 280699, 280719, B60G 2104
Patent
active
045575002
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The invention is concerned with an automobile suspension with an elastic leaf, the said leaf being fixed to the chassis of the vehicle and carrying the wheel support at its free end.
The reduction in the fuel consumption of automobiles is a function of the reduction of their dead weight; consequently, research has been directed simultaneously towards developing engines having an improved output and towards the lightening of the engine as well as the bodywork and the suspension components. A front suspension of the conventional MacPherson type consists of a damper connected to a suspension spring fixed to a bodywork component and a triangle to transmit drag forces to the chassis. These suspensions are also equipped with a transverse bar which resists differential deflection of the wheels with respect to the body. This bar is variously called an anti-roll bar, a levelling bar or a stabilising bar. In this case, the triangle is sometimes replaced by a strut. In rear suspensions, the springs are often replaced by torsion bars which carry the wheel arms. Manufacturers have sought to replace or to eliminate certain suspension components. For this reason, French Pat. No. 1,079,423 describes a front suspension in which the strut or the triangle has been replaced by a flexible leaf fixed between the chassis and the swivel of the stub axle pivot. This leaf, having a triangular shape in plan, supports the chassis by means of an area of predetermined curvature which gives it a variable elasticity.
The aim of this modification is not the lightening of the suspension, but a reduction of the lateral forces borne by the guiding components, and of the number of necessary joints.
French Pat. No. 1,597,358 proposes a solution in which the spring damper is eliminated and replaced by a transverse leaf spring fixed to the bodywork at two points which are symmetrical relative to its longitudinal axis. The ends of the springs support the wheels and a clamp connects the wheel support to the bodywork. This arrangement is aimed at reducing the number of necessary joints between the wheel support and the bodywork, and by eliminating the helical suspension spring, reducing the occupied space.
The aim of the suspension, which is the subject of the invention, is a reduction in weight obtained mainly by eliminating the helical suspension spring, the triangle or strut, and by at least lightening the levelling bar. These different components are replaced by an elastic leaf made of a composite material having, in its plane of vertical symmetry, a height increasing from its fixing point on the chassis to the end supporting the wheel.
The explanations and figures, given below by way of example, will permit the understanding of an embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 1 shows in section one half of a conventional front axle of a vehicle.
FIG. 2 shows one half of a conventional rear axle of a vehicle.
FIGS. 3 and 4 show an embodiment of an elastic leaf according to the invention.
FIG. 5 is a sectional view of one half of a front axle equipped with a leaf according to the invention.
FIG. 6 is a sectional view of the connection of the leaf to the pivot.
FIG. 7 is a sectional view of the connection of the leaf to the body.
The front suspension 1 (FIG. 1) of the MacPherson type incorporates a swivel-damper component 2. Between the end 3 of the damper body and the end 4 of its rod, the helical suspension spring 5 is fixed. The end 4 of the rod is fixed to a reinforced portion of the body 6. The other end 7 of the swivel-damper body is fixed to the wheel hub support 8 and carries at its end a swivel 9 which co-operates with the apex of a triangle or with the end of a strut 10 fixed to the chassis 11.
The helical spring 5 may be replaced by a torsion bar fixed to the triangle or strut 10 at one end, and to the chassis 11 at the other end.
The left and right triangles or struts 10 may be joined by a stabilising bar 12.
The rear suspension (FIG. 2) is independent for each wheel and each wheel is supported by an arm 13 connected to the body by a damper 14, a
REFERENCES:
patent: 3149855 (1964-09-01), Adloff et al.
patent: 3219333 (1965-11-01), Derschmidt et al.
patent: 3377060 (1968-04-01), Sherwood
Collard Maurice
De Goncourt Louis
Bertin & Cie
Breiner A. W.
Peters Jr. Joseph F.
Rice Kenneth R.
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