ELEVATED ROLL CENTER TRAILING ARM SUSPENSION FOR MOTOR VEHICLES

Abstract: An independent wheel suspension system for a motor vehicle includes a trailing arm (70) mounted for pivotal resilient movement through pivotal connecting members (72, 74), carried in the vehicle chassis (78). Resilient pivotal connection to a strut assembly (10) is effected through ball stud (56). The configuration and positioning of the trailing arm (70) and its mountings (72, 74, 56) elevates the vehicle roll center and reduces toe-out of the vehicle wheels during recession.

Description: i ELEVATED ROLL CENTER TRAILING ARM SUSPENSION FOR MOTOR VEHICLES Technical Field The present invention relates generally to wheel suspension systems for motor vehicles and, more particu¬ larly, to such systems which include pivotally mounted trailing arms as an element of the wheel support in con¬ junction with a strut assembly at a common ball joint. Background Art • It is known in the vehicle suspension arts to provide an independent wheel suspension for the front wheels of the vehicle which incorporates a pair of trailing arms mounted to a portion of the chassis of the vehicle. Exemplary of such independent wheel suspension systems is that disclosed in applicant's U.S. patent 2,760,787 assigned to the assignee of the present invention. Such systems provide the advantageous vehicle design capability of providing for anti-brake dive force and attitude control of the vehicle during bra ing. Such systems do, however, define a low roll center for the vehicle about its longitudinal vertical plane of symmetry. This has necessitated the provision of transversely, extending roll bars -which detract from the true independent nature of the vehicle wheel suspension system and add to vehicle weight and cost or relatively high rate suspension springs -which, while increasing roll control, detract from the riding comfort of the vehicle. It is also known in the prior art to provide spring biasing or resilient members which effect resistance to wheel recession or which control wheel recession, that is,, generally rearward wheel movement in response to the imposition of a frontal impact. Exemplary of systems which employ such devices are those disclosed in U.S. patent 3,083,032 to Cuskie; 3,151,877 to Bajer; and 3,195,878 to -2- Rosky et al . The deficiency in attempting to apply such technology to a trailing arm suspension of the type of interest here is that the -wheel motion occuring during recession with such cushioning structures tends to produce toe out between the front wheels of the vehicle wheel which is disadvantageous in terms of vehicle steering capability and which increases tire wear . Disclosure of the Invention Responsive to the def iciencies in the pr ior art, the present invention provides a trailing arm suspension system. The trailing arm is mounted to the vehicle chassis through a pair of pivotal connect ions, at least one of which is preferably res ilient which def ine an axis for pivotal movement of the tra iling arm which is canted upwardly toward the vertical plane of symmetry of the vehicle and in which a connection from the trailing arm to a suspension strut assembly mounted between the vehicle wheel and the body is pos it ioned at a point above and to the rear of the pivotal axis of the trailing arm . This positioning of the chassis and strut connections of the suspension system yields a tra iling arm suspens ion system which makes use of the anti-dive teaching of U.S. patent 2, 760 ,787 while defining a roll center for the vehicle that is elevated above the low roll center def ined by the system disclosed in that patent for roll resistance due to suspen¬ sion geometry , thereby eliminating the need for a roll bar and/or high rate suspension spr ings. The invention suspens ion sys tem fur ther provides resilient mounting of the outboard p ivotal connection of the trailing arm to provide for measur able longitud inal and rearward movement of the wheel , thus inducing wheel reces¬ sion that may occur during wheel forward rolling motion over pavement irregularities . Since connection of the -3- trailing arm to the strut assembly is effected through a ball joint connection and steering movement of the wheel is effected through another ball joint connection to the strut assembly, the toe out tendency of the wheel during reces- sion is counteracted by the imposition of the steering load on the strut on the one hand and the freedom of pivoting movement afforded at the steering arm ball joint connection and the outboard resilient mount of the trailing arm on the other hand. This cooperative control of wheel recession movement disclosed herein is claimed in applicant's concur¬ rently filed application entitled "TRAILING ARM SUSΣENSION RECESSION CONTROL" . The economically and structurally advantageous construction of portions of the strut assembly employed in the suspension system disclosed herein is claimed in the concurrently filed application of applicant and B. K. Chance entitled "STAMPED STRUT AND SPINDLE SUPPORT". Brief Description of the Drawings The present invention can be understood by reading the following description of the best mode for carrying out the invention with reference to the accompanying sheets of drawings in which. Figure 1 is a partially exploded perspective view of the strut assembly of the suspension system of the present invention? Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view from another angle of the strut assembly illustrating the connection of the trailing arm member to the strut assembly; Figure 3 is a diagrammatic cross-sectional view of the suspension system of the present invention; Figure 3A is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the resilient pivotal moulting of one end of the trailing -4- arm; Figure 4 is a diagrammatic side view of the invention suspension system; Figure 5 is a diagrammatic top view of the suspension system of the present invention; and Figure 6 is a diagrammatic presentation of the definition of the roll center of the suspens ion system of the present invention. Description of the Preferred Embodiments Turning now to the drawings, in particular Fig ures 1 and 2 thereof , the vehicle wheel suspens ion of the present invention is illustrated as consisting essentially of a strut assembly indicated general ly at 10 that is operatively disposed between the body ( not shown ) , of the vehicle and a front dr iven wheel assembly 12 of the vehicle . I t is to be understood that an essentially identical assembly is symmetrically arrayed on the other side of the vehicle . The strut assembly .10 incl udes an upper mounting portion 14 to provide fo r attachment to the vehicle body and further incl udes a telescoping piston and cylinder assembly 16 -which may be chosen from many such assemblies available . The assembly 16 essentially includes a tubular portion 18 which is fixedly secured to a support member 20 which will be later descr ibed in greater detail . A stamped spr ing suppo rt member 22 is secured to- the upper portion of the support portion 20 and provides a lower seat 24 for receiv ing a spr ing 26 carried in sur rounding relationship about the pis ton and cylinder assembly 16. The upper mount portion 14 includes an upper spr ing seat 28 for receiving the upper end of the spr ing 26. Also provided with the spr ing suppo rt po rtion 22 is an integral radially outwardly extending arm portion 30 having a pocket 32 formed therein for receiving an output OMPI -5- portion 34 of the steer ing assembly of the vehicle as shown in exploded view to the lef t of Figure 1 . This output portion 34 includes a ball stud member 31 mounted through a bushing assembly 33 in the pocket 32 for conventional attachment to the arm portion 30. A f ixed length link or the rod 35 oper atively connects the stud member 31 to the vehicle rack and pinion steering gear system ( not shown ) . Cons ider ing now in more detail support portion 20 , it is illustrated in Fig ure 1 as comprising a wheel or spindle suppo rt member 36 and a strut suppo rt member 38 . The two members are arranged in abutting relationship and define a conventional mounting base for the wheel 12 pro¬ viding a cavity 40 through wh ich a dr ive unit such as a front wheel dr ive half shaf t assembly 42 may be ope ratively connected to the wheel 12. The strut support member 38 includes an upstanding arm portion 44 def ining a channel 46 for receiving the tube 18 of the piston and cylinder assembly 16. A plural i ty of ape r tur es 48 , as may best be seen in Fig ure 2, are formed through the arm portion 44 for permitting welding attachment as indicated at 50 of the strut assembly to the spindle support 20. A generally hemispherical depr ession 52 is formed on the inner face of the spindle support member 36 at a position below the center line of the wheel 12. A bal l stud 54 hav ing an elastomeric cushion formed about its ball end 56 is inserted into the depr ession 52 and retained in place by a retaining plate 58 secured by suitable fasteners ( not shown ) as through the ape rtur es indicated at 60 in the plate 58. The stud portion 62 of the ball stud 54 is received through a cross hole 64 formed through a clamping bushing 66 carried by a portion of a trailing arm 70. The trail ing arm 70 is pivotably mounted on a generally transversely extending portion of the chassis of the vehicle by operation of two transversely spaced stud me bers 72, 74. It is to be understood, however, that for vehicle configurations using different structural orienta¬ tions, the mountings here described as being effected- at body or chassis positions may be functionally duplicated by connections effected in frames, subframes and unit body components without departing from the present teaching . As may best be seen in Figures 3, 4 and 5, the stud members 72, 74 define an axis of rotation upwardly canted toward the center line of the vehicle and the ball stud 56 is positioned upwardly and rearwardly of that axis of rota¬ tion. The inboard stud member 72 is of preferably a conventional pivotally mounted construction while the outboard stud member 74 is resiliently mounted. In the embodiment illustrated in Figure 2, the outboard mounting stud 74 includes a stud member carried in a resiliently mounted bushing 75 having a rotational axis transverse to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle. The stud 76 extends forwardly through a portion 78 of the vehicle chassis and includes an enlarged head portion 80 to capture a spring 82 between the stud 76 and the chassis portion 78. A more preferred configuration for the outboard pivotal connection 74 is illustrated in Figure 3a. In this embodiment a stud member 84 includes an eye portion 86 for receiving an elastomsric bushing 88 by which the stud member 84 is resiliently mounted on a transversely extend¬ ing cross-bolts 90 carried in the outboard portions 73 of the trailing arm 70. A forwardly extending generally cylindrical shaft portion 92 of the stud member 84 is resiliently mounted in another elastomeric bushing 94 which may slidingly engage the stud member 84 or may fixedly engage it in shear and which is carried in an aperture 96 formed through the chassis portion 78 of the vehicle. Forward movement of the stud 84 is cushioned by a cushion member such as the 0 ring depicted at 98 and rearward movement is limited by provision of an enlargement 100 formed on the forward end of the stud portion 94. Elasto- raeric buttons 102 or other cushioning means auch as an "0" ring may be provided on the rear face 104 of the enlarge- ent. Operation of the vehicle suspension system in the present invention may be better understood by reference to the schematic representations of the system depicted diagrammatically in Figures 3-6. It can be seen in these Figures that the suspen¬ sion system of the present invention makes use of the teaching of applicant's previously mentioned U.S. patent 2,760,787, which is incorporated herein by reference, by defining wheel suspension geometry which provides for an anti-brake feature dive. As can best be seen in Figure 4, ball stud 56, through which connection is made between the spindle support member 20 and the chassis mounted trailing arm 70, is positioned above and to the rear of trailing arm pivot connections 72, 74. Line A of Figure 4 indicates the plane of the trailing arm 70 through which vehicle braking forces must act. Therefore, upon application of a horizon¬ tal braking force on the wheel W, represented by the vector B in Figure 4, that braking force is resolved into a compo¬ nent C acting generally rearwardly along the trailing arm 70 and a component D acting generally downwardly through the wheel W to the ground. The reaction to the component D through the ball stud 56 tends to pivot the trailing arm 70 upwardly, opposing the tendency of the vehicle to dive in response to the horizontal weight transfer resulting from vehicle deceleration due to application of braking force. It will be noted, however, that while the general anti-dive effect above described is as provided by the prior art system of U.S. patent 2,760,787, the suspension system of the present invention differs from the prior art system in certain advantageous respects. One such differ- O PI ence, best illustrated in Figure 6, is the provision of an elevated roll center for the suspension system. In Figure 6, schematic point M represents the center of the body mounting portion 14 of strut assembly 10. The line X-Y therefrom extending through the drive center CV of the half shaft assembly 42, the strut steering connector 34, and the ball joint connection 56 to the point R at the center of the wheel W represents the plane in which connections between the body, wheel, strut and road are effected. As is well known in the suspension arts Point 0, the instan¬ taneous suspension center is established by projecting perpendicularly from the point M to the point of inter¬ section with the plane defined by pivotal mounts 72, 74 of trailing arm 70 through which connection to the vehicle chassis is effected. Projecting from this point 0 to the point R at the intersection of the wheel center and the ground yields a roll center at intersection point RC with the vehicle center line which is elevated above the ground for this suspension system. It has been established that such elevation of the roll center can eliminate the need for a transversely extending roll bar or higher rate suspension springs or a combination of both. Thus, a truly independent front suspension can be provided at reduced cost and without sacrifice of riding comfort. Another advantageous difference from the prior art system, best illustrated in Figures 3A and 5, is the resilient recession control afforded by the configuration of the trailing arm outboard pivotal connection 74. Rear¬ ward (rightward as indicated at R in Figure 5) movement of the wheel in response to the frontal impact is resil¬ iently resisted by the outboard pivotal connection 74 as may be appreciated by the description of the alternative constructions of pivotal mounting 74 illustrated in Figures 2 and 3A. In Figure 5, the movement of pivotal mount 74, which is preferably accommodated by mounting inboard pivotal mount 72 for limited angular movement is diagram- atically illustrated. Were the steering arm portion 30 of strut assembly not restrained from rotative movement by the fixed length steering link 35 (-whose length is chosen to minimize angular variation of steering arm position with respect to the vehicle's vertical plane of symmetry as the wheel and strut move vertically during ride), this movement of trailing arm 70 would cause the wheel W to toe out as ball stud 56, and consequently the wheel W would shift arcuately counterclockwise as viewed in Figure 5. However, because the fixed length rod 35 does not permit rotative movement of the arm 30, the wheel W is constrained to move straight backward and inward as the spindle support 20 effectively rotates about the ball stud 56. It can be appreciated that a slight change in wheel tread path occurs during this motion. Perfect parallel displacement of the wheel W can be obtained at a given vehicle riding height by proper selection of angular position, as perceived in the plan view of Figure 5, of the theoretical steering arm axis at its connection to the fixed length steering linkage 35 and the theoretical king pin axis. While only certain variations from the disclosed embodiment have been described or suggested, others may be possible without departing from the scope of the appended claims. Such variations include, inter alia, choosing the angle made by the steering arm portion 30 with the vehicle's vertical longitudinal plane of symmetry to provide initially as the wheel is turned from the straight position a measure of toe-in (oversteer), and as steering movement increases a further measure of toe-out (under- steer) as may be desirable for certain vehicle applica¬ tions. OMPI / W2PO

Claims: CIAIMS What is claimed is : 1. An independent wheel suspens ion sys tem for the steerable wheels of a veh icle of the type wherein a res il¬ iently telescoping strut assembly is interposed between the •wheel and a portion of the vehicle body at each wheel and a trail ing arm member is pivotally mounted to the wheel and strut assembly and is p ivotally mounted to the veh icle chassis forwardly of the wheel , char acte rized in that the trailing arm member is mounted to the vehicle chassis for pivotal movement about an axis canted upwardly and inwardly with respect to the longitudinal vertical plane of symmetry of the vehicle and pos itioned forwardly and below the pivotal connection of the tra iling arm with the veh icle wheel and strut assembly. 2. An independent wheel suspens ion system as defined in Claim 1 , further characterized in that the trail¬ ing arm instantaneous pivotal axis is def ined by a pair of transversely spaced axially al igned pivotal connecting members operatively disposed between the vehicle chassis and the trailing arm member and at least one of the con¬ necting members is secured to res il ient mounting means. 3. An independent wheel suspension system as defined in Claim 2 , fur ther characterized in that the one connecting member is that member positioned transversely remote from the ver tical plane of symmetry of the vehicle.

Inventors: MULLER GEORGE H, MULLER, GEORGE, H.
Applicants: FORD FRANCE, FORD MOTOR CO, FORD WERKE AG, FORD FRANCE S.A., FORD MOTOR COMPANY, FORD MOTOR COMPANY LIMITED, FORD-WERKE AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT
Application year: 1983
Main classification: B60G15
IPC codes: B60G3, B60G7, B60G13, B60G15