GB1213795A - Improvements in vehicle suspension systems - Google Patents

Abstract

1,213,795. Controlling lateral canting. N. HAMY. 15 Dec., 1967 [15 Dec., 1966], No. 56116/66. Heading B7D. [Also in Division F2] In a wheeled vehicle the wheels 34 of at least one opposed pair are mounted by upper and lower suspension joints 37 and 36 for independent upward and downward movement relative to a body support member 31 and the body is supported at one or two points above its centre of gravity 33 by the support member for lateral swaying movement relative thereto about a longitudinal sway axis 32 above said centre of gravity 33 the upper joints 37 being connected by links 39 to the body and the lower joints 36 being connected to the support member 31. The arrangement provides inward or no canting when cornering. In Fig. 2 the wheels 34 are resiliently movable vertically relative to wheel mountings 35 which are connected through lower joints 36 to extensions 38 of the support member and through upper joints 37 and links 39 to a point 40 on the body, the links being parallel to lines through the joints 36 and the sway axis 32. On cornering the body moves outward relative to the wheels (to the right in Fig. 2) about the point 32, i.e. it leans inwards, and due to the outward weight transfer the right-hand mounting 35 moves downwards and the left-hand mounting upwards relative to the associated wheel rotating the support member 31 about the axis 32 and reducing the inward lean of the body. In a modification (Fig. 4, not shown) the transverse links (139) from the upper joints (137) are connected to the top end of a vertical link which is pivoted to the support member between its ends and to the body at its bottom end by a pin and slot connection. In a further modification (Fig. 13) the transverse links 748 are pivoted to two links 745, the axes of the pivots 746, 747 determining the body sway axis 750. In further modifications the lower joints are connected to the support member by lower transverse links and spring/tamper units are mounted between the lower joints and support member. In an alternative form of the invention (Fig. 7) the support member 431 is of U- shape with a link 445 at each end which is pivotally connected at its upper end to the body 430 and at its lower end to the wheel mounting 435. The wheel hub support 449 has a pair of vertical extensions 450 which are slidable in the mounting 435. Each wheel mounting has a pair of lower ball joints 436 which are connected to the opposite wheel mounting and to the support member 431 by a pair of parallel transverse tie rods 451 (Fig. 8) and links 452 which pivot about the support member for steering. In modifications a single lower ball joint for each wheel mounting is mounted directly on the support member (Fig. 5, not shown) and each wheel hub is pivoted for steering on a mounting which is slidable vertically relative to the support member (Fig. 22, not shown). The resilient mountings 35 each comprise a suspension housing 50 disposed within the rim of and rotatably supporting the hub of a wheel 34 and movable vertically on roller tracks 51 of the portion of the mounting 35 mounted on the pivots 36, 37. Bonded to faces 53 of the mounting and secured to anchorages 54 on the housing 50 are two rubber " springs " each comprising two fluid-filled chambers 55, 56 separated by a damping orifice or spring-loaded two-way valve 58.