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US 4,718,693 AGranted
Composite leaf spring suspension with integral sway bar
OwnerBenjamin V. Booherinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A vehicle suspension system includes a parallel set of pultruded composite leaf springs connected by a sway bar to minimize rolling of the vehicle body during turning. The rear ends of the springs are pivotally connected to shackles which are in turn pivotally connected to the vehicle frame and rigidly connected to opposite ends of the sway bar.
Claims14
A vehicle suspension system comprising:
- a pair of elongate springs, each made of a composite material;
- means for connecting a forward end of each of the springs to a corresponding side of a vehicle frame so that the springs extend parallel in a longitudinal direction relative to the frame;
- means for rigidly connecting an intermediate portion of each of the springs to an axle housing extending in a transverse direction relative to the frame;
- shock absorber means connecting the axle to the frame for damping motion of the axle relative to the frame;
- a sway bar;
- and
- shackle means rigidly connected to each end of the sway bar for connecting a rearward end of each of the springs to a corresponding end of the sway bar for thereby transmitting deflections of one spring to the other by rotation of said sway bar for inhibiting rotation of the vehicle frame relative to the axle housing during cornering.
4 more elements
A vehicle suspension system, comprising:
- a pair of elongate springs, each spring consisting of a single leaf having a uniform cross-section throughout its length and formed of a composite material;
- means for connecting a forward end of each of the springs to a corresponding side of a vehicle frame so that the springs extend parallel in a longitudinal direction relative to the frame;
- means for rigidly connecting an intermediate portion of each of the springs to an axle housing extending in a transverse direction relative to the frame;
- shock absorber means connecting the axle to the frame for damping motion of the axle relative to the frame;
- a sway bar;
- and
- shackle means rigidly connected to each end of the sway bar for connecting a rearward end of each of the springs to a corresponding end of the sway bar for thereby transmitting deflections of one spring to the other by rotation of said sway bar for inhibiting rotation of the vehicle frame relative to the axle housing during cornering.
4 more elements
A vehicle suspension system, comprising:
- a pair of elongate springs, each made of a pultruded composite material, including an upper woven fiber layer and a lower woven fiber layer sandwiching an intermediate layer of unidirectional, longitudinally extending fibers;
- means for connecting a forward end of each of the springs to a corresponding side of a vehicle frame so that the springs extend parallel in a longitudinal direction relative to the frame;
- means for rigidly connecting an intermediate portion of each of the springs to an axle housing extending in a transverse direction relative to the frame;
- shock absorber means connecting the axle to the frame for damping motion of the axle relative to the frame;
- a sway bar;
- and
- means for connecting a rearward end of each of the springs to a corresponding end of the sway bar for thereby transmitting deflections of one spring to the other by rotation of said sway bar for inhibiting rotation of the vehicle frame relative to the axle housing during cornering, comprising a pair of shackles each rigidly connected to the corresponding end of the sway bar, means for pivotally connecting each shackle to the rearward end of the corresponding spring and means for pivotally connecting the shackles to the vehicle frame.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.