Bridgestone/firestone, Inc.

The Firestone Tire & Rubber Company

Jack D Ecktman

Matthew A Robbins

Michael M Brown

An air spring has a pair of spaced end members for mounting the spring at spaced locations on a structure. A flexible sleeve of elastomeric material is sealingly engaged with the end members and forms a pressurized fluid chamber therebetween. A post is mounted on one of the end members and extends into the fluid chamber. A shock absorbing bumper formed of a high strength plastic is snap-fitted on an enlarged top of the post. One or more bumper extensions are stackable and matable on top of the bumper so as to allow for height adjustment without bumper removal.

Bumper extension for use with a bumper on an air spring

An air spring has a pair of axially spaced end members and an intervening elastomeric sleeve extending therebetween which forms a fluid pressure chamber. An annular clamp ring having a smooth inner diameter coacts with an annular wall on the end members, which has an outer diameter with annular indentations formed therein to clamp the ring thereto. The clamp ring is of a tear-drop shape which corresponds to the general conical shape of the end members so as to provide greater fabric displacement, ring/component interference as opposed to clearance, larger stress area, and a self-locking mechanism.

Tear-drop shaped clamp assembly and tapered end cap for an air spring

A self locking, snap mounted attachment device formed integrally with a plastic member, such as the end plate or piston of an air spring, for mounting the member on a separate support member. The device has a rigid member terminating in arcuate outer surfaces. Preferably two pairs of flexible fingers are mounted between the arcuate end surfaces on opposite sides of the rigid member. The fingers have stems with curved outer surfaces, which in combination with the curved surfaces of the rigid member define an imaginary circle complemental to a circular hole in the support member into which the attachment device is to be inserted. A shoulder is formed on each of the finger stems and snaps into engagement with the support member after passing through the attachment hole. The rigid member resists shear forces exerted on the device and the fingers automatically snap into position to secure the end plate or piston on the support member when the device is inserted into the attachment hole.

Self locking, snap mounted attachment device

An anchor, preferably formed of metal, has at least one flat side and is adapted to be forcefully inserted axially into a complementary shaped aperture formed in an object made of a softer material than the anchor, such as plastic. The anchor is adapted to receive an attachment fastener in a central threaded opening formed in the anchor, after the anchor is forcefully seated in the aperture of the object. A plurality of angled barbs extend outwardly from the body and cut into the object to resist pullout of the anchor once seated in the object, with the flat side resisting rotation of the anchor with respect to the body. The anchor may be formed with flat corner areas which align with rounded corners of the object aperture. In the alternative, generally circular stress relief areas are formed in the corners of the aperture which align with shape square corners of the anchor. The outer dimensions of the anchor body sides are slightly less than the internal dimension of aperture but the widths of the barbs are greater than the corresponding widths of the aperture.

One-piece fastener anchor

An air spring has pair of spaced end members for mounting the spring at spaced locations on a structure. A flexible sleeve of elastomeric material is sealingly engaged with the end members and forms a pressurized fluid chamber therebetween. A post is mounted on one of the end members and extends into the fluid chamber. A shock absorbing bumper formed of a high strength plastic is snap-fitted on an enlarged top of the post. A plurality of circumferentially arranged flexible fingers define an opening in a base of the bumper, and are snap-fitted over the enlarged top of the post which extends into the opening and seat into an annular undercut formed in the post beneath the enlarged top. The snap-fitted plastic bumper replaces the heretofore used elastomeric bumper.

Snap-on bumper for air spring

A pneumatic shock absorber used primarily as a die spring includes a piston formed with a base and an upstanding cylindrical body provided with an internal fluid reservoir. An outer housing is mounted on the base and extends about the cylindrical body. An inner housing is axially telescopically mounted for sliding movements within the outer housing. A flexible sleeve is enclosed at one end by a sealing cap and is sealingly connected at its outer end to the exterior of the piston body forming a fluid chamber therein which communicates with the fluid reservoir of the piston. An opening is formed in the piston body to fill the reservoir and chamber with a high pressure fluid which places the inner housing in an expanded position by the end cap pressing against an end wall of the inner housing upon axial expansion of the sleeve. Rolled end flanges formed on the housings engage each other to stop the movement of the inner housing at the expanded position. The inner housing moves axially within the outer housing compressing the fluid trapped in the fluid reservoir and chamber to absorb axial forces applied to the piston and inner housing. A coating of low friction material is applied to the inner surface of the inner housing and to the outer surface of the piston body to reduce the sliding and rolling friction with the flexible sleeve during axial movement of the inner housing.

Die spring construction

An air spring having a pair of spaced end members and an intervening tubular elastomeric sleeve with internal reinforcing cords forms a fluid pressure chamber for mounting between spaced portions of a vehicle to provide damping and to absorb road shock. Each of the end members has an end cap and a clamp ring provided with annular mating surfaces. The clamp ring is formed with an annular convex projection which extends into a larger annular concave recess formed in the end cap. When the ring and end cap are snapped axially together, two annular radially space areas of the sleeve are placed in compressive shear to provide a secure clamping engagement with the sleeve material. An annular expansion area is formed within the recess between the projection permitting the sleeve material located between the compressive shear areas to expand therein. The sleeve cords move through a direction change of approximately 180.degree.. The annular projection and annular recess form two radially spaced annular pinch areas on each of the end members, and the intervening expansion area ensures a change of direction of the reinforcement cord to securely clamp the sleeve ends therebetween eliminating any internal bead reinforcement on the sleeve. In a second embodiment helical thread-like mating projections formed on the end cap and clamp ring provide the two compressive shear pinch areas and intervening expansion area.

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Indianapolis, IN, United States of America

Jack D Ecktman