Patent GB-1038807-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in and relating to vehicle suspension systems
IPC: B60G21/04
Filed: 1964-05-05
Abstract: 1,038,807. Vehicle suspension. SOC. FRANCAISE D'ENTRETIEN ET DE REPARATION DE MATERIEL AERONAUTIQUE (S.F.E.R.M.A.). May 5, 1964 [May 11, 1963; Sept. 6, 1963], No. 18597/64. Heading B7D. A vehicle suspension arrangement comprises a pair of arms 3, 4 upon which the wheels are mounted, arm 3 being keyed to a shaft 20 which is rigid with a toothed segment 21 and arm 4 being keyed to a shaft 23 which is connected via a member 25 to a toothed sector 26, the sectors 21 and 26 mating with a pinion set 28 connected to a shaft 27 which is connected by a lever 29, to an oleo-pneumatic device (34). The shaft 27 of the pinion set 28 is mounted in a two-part housing 22, 22a which has an extension 35 and is free to pivot in bearing 36 and about shaft 23 which is itself rotatably mounted in bearing 24. The extension 35 is connected to a torsion bar spring 38 secured at its other end to the vehicle chassis. An hydraulic damper (39) is connected between the vehicle and the housing 22a. The oleopneumatic unit (34) is attached to the housing 22a. The arrangement is such that when the wheel suspension arms 3 and 4 move in the same direction toward or away from the ground, the pinion set 28 is rotated and the shock damping and absorption is provided by the oleo-pneumatic unit (34), but if one arm only moves, the effect is to cause the other to move in the converse direction and the shock damping and absorption is provided by the torsion bar spring 38 and hydraulic damper (39). In a modification, Fig. 4, a pair of wheel support arms are rigid with a pair of arms 49, 50 which carry cam followers 51 and 52, respectively, and which pivot about the axis O. The cam followers engage a cam 57 pivotally mounted on an arm 46 itself pivotal about the axis O and connected to a single acting hydropneumatic damping and springing device 82. The cam is connected to a double-acting hydropneumatic damping and spring unit 77, 78, 70 mounted on the arm 46. When both the wheel support arms move in the same direction, the cam is not rotated, but the arm 46 is moved against the action of the spring device 82. When, however, the arms move in relatively opposite directions, the cam is rotated and the springing is effected by the unit 77, 78, 70 mounted on arm 46. When one arm moves in one direction, a movement of the other arm in the opposite direction is produced. In Fig. 9, an additional cam 93 is introduced, acting upon the support arm 46, to elevate the vehicle when a sideways tilting is produced by the movement of the wheel arms. The torsion bar may be replaced by a doubleacting hydropneumatic device 65b, Fig. 11 (not shown), and in Fig. 12 (not shown) torsion bars (38 and 38a) from the front and rear suspensions are mounted in a chassis member (42) and may be connected together, e.g. through a load apportioning device and may be connected, e.g. by a lever (44), to a double-acting damper (43). The arrangements of the invention may be used for opposite wheels in pairs (Fig. 14, not shown) or in tandem arrangements (Figs. 15 and 16, not shown). In a further construction, Figs. 17, 20 and 21, wheels 144a and 144b are carried by arms 145a, 145b mounted on tubular shafts 111a, 111b, respectively, through which extend wheel driving shafts 115a, 115b. At their inboard ends, the shafts 111a, 111b are connected to members 116a, 116b carrying sectors 122a, 122b which engage a pinion 123 whose shaft 124 is carried by a two-part housing 119a, 119b pivoted concentrically with the shafts 111a, 111b. The shaft 124 extends into a casing 127 attached to the members 129 and carries a pinion 130 which meshes with pinions 129 carried by torsion bars 128 whose squared ends 131 are secured in the casing 127. Also secured to the shaft 124 are blades 137 of an hydraulic damping mechanism. The members 119a, 119b are restrained against pivoting by an hydropneumatic spring damper unit (151) secured to vehicle framework (153, 154, Fig. 21, not shown) and in operation, when there is differential movement between the wheel arms, the sector carrying members rotate differentially, turning the pinion 123 against the springing force of the torsion bars 128. Movement of the arms in the same direction causes a reaction on the pinion 123, whereby the unit 119a, 119b, 127 turns against the reaction of the hydropneumatic device 151. The wheel arms have restricted movement about vertical pivots 146a, 146b, the two arms being connected together through bell-crank levers 147a, 147b. In a modification to this construction (Figs. 23 and 24, not shown), the torsion bars (128) are fixed by their squared ends in a plate (155) rotatable about the shaft 124 and having a pinion (156) engaging a worm (157) which may be rotated from an electric motor through a shaft 160 under the control of the driver, whereby the tilt of the vehicle may be controlled. An alternative modification (Fig. 25, not shown) for controlling the tilt, comprises a piston and cylinder assembly (165, 166) connected by a rod (163) to the rotatable base-plate in which the squared ends of the torsion bars are located. In a further modification (Fig. 27, not shown), instead of the torsion bar arrangement of Fig. 17, the shaft 124 bearing the pinion 123 is connected by a link (169) to a connecting rod (170) attached to the piston-part (172) of an hydropneumatic device (178, 179) providing air springing for the differential movements of the suspension arms. In this arrangement, tilt control may be provided by transferring fluid from one side of the piston (172) to the other.