Patent GB-669247-A (GB)
Title: Improved vehicle suspension
IPC: B60G11/27
Filed: 1950-07-03
Abstract: 669,247. Road-vehicle body details and spring-suspensions. GENERAL MOTORS CORPORATION. July 3, 1950 [July 2, 1949], No. 16499/50. Classes 108(i) and 108(ii) A vehicle suspension system for a vehicle body having a floor overlying the wheels comprises wheel mounting structure extending transversely of the vehicle and upwardly from the wheel axis and terminating at its upper end above the tops of the wheels, and loadcarrying flexible air springs interposed between the upper end of the wheel mounting structure and the body floor. A loading or fare collecting platform 3 having a depressed central aisle 2 leads by steps 6 to the main passenger carrying deck 5 which has a central aisle 4. Vertical truss plates 8 for stiffening the floor structure also provide compartments which may contain baggage, air-conditioning equipment, fuel and storage tanks etc. The engine (not shown) is mounted in a rearmost compartment A and is connected by a shaft 10 and differential 12 with the driven axle 12a Fig 5 for a driven pair of wheels 11. The axle 12a is secured by saddles 17, 18 to a fabricated casing comprising spaced vertical tubes 14 bridged by a traverse tube 15, and arched web 13. The extremities of the tube 15 extend forwardly and rearwardly to provide a fore-and-aft spring seat 16 disposed vertically above each wheel. A tubular bellows 28 is secured by upper and lower clamping rings to a respective spring seat 16 and to a hollow casting 34. The forward casting 34 on each side of the vehicle is connected to the rearward casting 34 and to a cylindrical compressed air tank 26. Each rearward casting 34 is connected via a flexible coupling 37 to an air tank 27. The tank 27 is connected with a hollow casting 31 corresponding to the bellow 28<SP>1</SP> of the suspension of the rearmost wheels 20 . The spring-seat structure of the rearmost wheels 20 comprises a fabricated casing 13. 14, 15 as for the wheels 11, but the lower ends of the tubes 14 carry stub axles for the wheels, and the respective extremities of the tube carry a single spring-seat 16. The tanks 27 are connected via a valve (not shown) to a main air storage tank which may also provide compressed air for the brakes, door operating motors &c. The casing of the valve is mounted on the floor structure, and its movable element is linked to the casing 13, 14, 15 of the wheels 11 and is arranged so that an increase or decrease in static load above the wheels 11. 20 causes the valve to connect the tanks 27 to the storage tank or to atmosphere respectively. The valve has a delayed action to prevent it operating under changes in rynamic load. Fore-and-aft location of the ales is maintained by a set of three radius rods 22 disposed between the casing 13, 14, 15 and one of the truss plates 8, and a similar set of three rods 22' disposed between the two casings 13, 14. 15. Each of the axle assemblies is located laterally by a radius rod 23 disposed between a rubberbush type pivot on the respective casing and a pivot on the floor structure. The front suspension comprises an axle 44 carrying spring seats 47 for fore-and-aft bellows 46 on each side of the vehicle. Each pair of bellows is connected with a respective compressed air tank 45. The two tanks 45 arc connected via a valve 42 to the main storage tank. The casing of the valve 42 is mounted on the floor structure and the movable element is linked at 43 to the axle. the arrangement being the same as for the valve corresponding to the rear axles assembly. The axle 44 is located against fore-and-aft movement by radius rods 49. and against lateral movement by a transversely disposed stabilizer bar 50.