Suspension isolating device
AssigneePullman Incorporated
InventorRonald J. McLaughlin
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An improved device for isolating a vehicle frame from an axle assembly is provided. This device is characterized such that deflection caused by road shock is severely limited when the vehicle is in a loaded condition and substantially higher when the vehicle is in an unloaded condition. The device comprises an elastomer shear spring; a circular outer ring surrounding the shear spring and mounted to the axle assembly; and an inner plunger having a top surface to which a load is applied and a lower portion comprising an elastomer compression spring.
Claims6
A device for isolating a vehicle frame from an axle assembly, the device comprising:
- an outer ring adapted to be mounted to the axle assembly, the outer ring having a central bore defining a first axis;
- an elastomer shear spring disposed within the central bore of the outer ring, the elastomer shear spring having a central aperture defining a second axis;
- and
- an elastomer compression spring positioned within the central aperture of the elastomer shear spring, said elastomer compression spring having a top surface to which a load is applied and a lower part adapted to contact said axle assembly after a predetermined deflection of said elastomer shear spring.
An isolation spring having a static load-deflection curve, said isolation spring comprising:
- an outer ring having a central bore defining a first axis;
- an elastomer shear spring disposed within the central bore of the outer ring, the elastomer shear spring having a central aperture defining a second axis and a first load-deflection curve;
- and
- an elastomer compression spring positioned within the central aperture of the elastomer shear spring having a second load-deflection curve, said static load deflection curve having a first portion defined by said first load-deflection curve and a second portion defined by a combination of said first and second load-deflection curves.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.