GB515974A - Improvements relating to automobile steering gear - Google Patents

Abstract

515,974. Motor-vehicle axles and steering gear. AMMEN, F. DU P. June 17, 1938, No. 18064. [Classes 79 (iv) and 79 (v)] The front axle 1, Fig. 3 and 6, has rearwardly-inclined ends 2 connected by steering pivots 7 to steering swivels 5 on which the road wheels 4 are rotatably mounted, each steering swivel having a hollow or chamber 6 of greater radius than the length of the inclined axle-end 2, so that when the wheel is swivelled, as shown in Fig. 2, the chamber 6 allows the wheel to swivel to a greater extent than is usually the case. The axle is formed with a straight middle portion 1, forwardly-inclined parts 1a, and the rearwardlyinclined parts 2. the steering pivots 7 being substantially in line with the longitudinal axis of the axle. The road wheels'are mounted on the steering swivels 5 by means of bearings 8, 27. The pivots 7 may be slightly inclined to the vertical and the plane of each wheel may also be inclined outwards. The steering swivels are connected by links 17, 18 to levers 13, 14, pivoted at 15, 16 on the axle, the rear ends of the levers being connected together by a track rod 19. The left-hand lever 13 may have an additional arm 26 connected by a drag link 25 to the usual steering gear (not shown). Alternatively a transverse drag link may be connected to the track rod 19. In the construction shown in Fig. 9 the forward arms 33 of the inter-connecting levers are sharply inclined to each other and are longer than the rear arms 39 ; further-the links 34 connecting the levers to the steering swivels are rearwardly-inclined from the levers, the result being that for a small angular movement of the steering hand-wheel and the levers 33, 39 the road 'wheels are moved through a greater angle than in the first construction and the turning radius of the car is less.