Strut assembly with air spring
AssigneeAxleTech International IP Holdings, LLC
InventorNikolaos Adonios Adonakis
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A strut assembly includes a damper having a housing and a rod moveable relative to the housing along a longitudinal axis. The strut assembly includes a flexible membrane configured to receive a pressurized gas to form an air spring. A coil spring defines an inner diameter with the housing disposed within the inner diameter to permit relative movement between the coil spring and the housing. The coil spring is at least partially disposed outside the flexible membrane relative to the longitudinal axis.
Claims26
A strut assembly for a vehicle, said strut assembly comprising:
- a damper including a housing defining a fluid cavity and extending along a longitudinal axis and further including a rod moveable relative to said housing along said longitudinal axis and having a first rod end disposed within said cavity and a second rod end spaced from said housing along said longitudinal axis;
- a mounting plate coupled to said second rod end and configured for attachment to the vehicle;
- a flexible membrane having a first membrane end coupled to said housing and a second membrane end coupled to said mounting plate and configured for receiving a pressurized gas to form an air spring to bias said mounting plate away from said housing along said longitudinal axis;
- a coil spring having a first spring end in engagement with said housing and a second spring end in engagement with said mounting plate for biasing said mounting plate away from said housing along said longitudinal axis;
- said coil spring defining an inner diameter and disposed about an outer periphery of said housing to permit axial movement of said housing within said inner diameter of said coil spring relative to said coil spring.
An assembly as set forth in claim 9 wherein said air spring piston includes a frustoconical shape.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.