Loading assembly for a vehicle spindle test fixture

Abstract

A loading assembly for a vehicle spindle test fixture includes a belt crank that pivots on a first axis to differentially displace two vertical struts which are attached to a wheel adapter housing in order to apply a braking moment to the vehicle spindle. A lever pivotally supported about a second axis is pivotally joined to the bell crank and is used to displace the bell crank, the vertical struts and the wheel adapter housing to apply a vertical force. A control link controls rotation of the bell crank about the first axis and is pivotally joined to the bell crank about a third axis. A second lever is pivotally supported for movement about the second axis and is pivotally joined to an end of the control link about a fourth axis. When a trailing arm suspension is to be tested, the bell crank, the first lever, the control link and the second lever are arranged to form a non-parallelogram linkage in order to induce a brake axis rotation when a vertical displacement is applied.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.