Meritor Heavy Vehicle Systems Limited

Arvin Meritor Technology, LLC

Meritor Heavy Vehicle Braking Systems (uk) Limited

Ror Rockwell Limited

Martin Peaker

David Chan

Robert P Carlstedt

Richard M Clisch

Steven Ray Miller

Nancy L Saxon

James Eckelberry

Mark P Reynolds

Kenneth G Lang

Daniel Chien

Jeff Lloyd

Andrew Mathie

James W Grant

Christopher Bluff

Jos Timmermann

David Chen

David J Chan

Paul Bell

Shajimon Kaithan

Shaun Gillespie

A suspension subassembly for securement to a heavy vehicle trailer includes a hanger bracket for a trailing arm, an air spring mounting bracket, a damper mounting bracket, and a connection member extending longitudinally between the hanger bracket and the damper mounting bracket. The damper mounting bracket is positioned intermediate the hanger bracket and the air spring mounting bracket.

Suspension subassembly

A suspension trailing arm suspends a vehicle chassis from a beam type axle. The trailing arm includes a chassis mounting feature, an axle mounting feature, and an arm portion intermediate the chassis mounting feature and the axle mounting feature. The arm portion has a generally X-section profile with four limbs.

Suspension trailing arm

A vehicle suspension axle wrap is a composite tubular structure of cast or forged shells of part-tubular shape. The shells are assembled into a tubular form and welded together at juxtaposed edges. The shells can be cast or forged accurately to shape and profile to provide an improved quality axle wrap. Wall thickness variations can be designed into the shells. The juxtaposed edges are shaped to space the welding at the edges from the interior of the assembled axle wrap. The edges are beveled adjacent the external circumferential surfaces of the shells to provide a V-shaped groove at which the welding is made. There is a stepped engagement at the edges between the V-shaped groove and the internal surface of the axle wrap to prevent the welding from extending to the internal surface. Each shell is formed with an aperture at which a welded joint can be made between the axle wrap and an axle.

Connection between vehicle axle and suspension arm

A tandem axle suspension assembly includes a pair of walking beams disposed substantially parallel to a vehicle longitudinal axis supporting first and second axles. A link plate is pivotally attached to each of the walking beams and is pivotal about an axis transverse to the longitudinal axis. A first and a second link include pivotal connections between the link plate and a vehicle frame member. Vertical movement of the walking beams causes a corresponding rotation of the link plate to compensate for longitudinal displacement of the pivotal links with the first and second links and minimize longitudinal displacement of the walking beams.

Walking watts air beam

A hollow vehicle suspension beam () has opposed side walls formed with recesses () in which an axle wrap () is located and secured by welded jointing () internally and externally of the opposed side walls to provide a strong joint between the beam and axle wrap. The beam may comprise at least one component () of a generally U-shaped section the opposed limbs of which provide at least part of the opposed side walls of the beam, and the mouth of the section provides an access opening into the interior of the beam for the internal welded jointing () to be made at the axle wrap. One embodiment has the beam comprised of two of the U-shaped components () disposed with their mouths opening in opposite directions to provide access to the interior of the beam for the internal welded jointing to be made at the axle wrap () before the mouths are closed by closure components (). Another embodiment has the opposed side walls formed in combination by the opposed limbs of a U-shaped component and the space between the plate components being closed off by closure components after the internal welded joint have been made.

Vehicle suspension beam

A hollow vehicle suspension beam has opposed side walls formed with recesses in which an axle wrap is located and secured by welded jointing. The welded jointing is located internally and externally of the opposed side walls to provide a strong joint between the beam and the axle wrap. The beam includes at least one component of a generally U-shaped section having opposed limbs that provide at least part of the opposed side walls of the beam. The mouth of the component provides an access opening into the interior of the beam for the internal welded jointing to be made at the axle wrap. In one example, the beam includes two U-shaped components disposed with their mouths opening in opposite directions to provide access to the interior of the beam for the internal welded jointing to be made at the axle wrap. The mouths are then closed by closure components. The opposed side walls formed in combination by the opposed limbs of the U-shaped component and the space between the plate components are closed off by closure components after the internal welded joint has been made.

A trailing arm suspension is formed as a one-piece stamped body having a central web and two laterally spaced side walls. A wrap is to be secured to an axle and received in a recess between the walls. The integrated wrap has radially outwardly extending ledges which are welded to the walls, and which provide support surfaces along the axle axis. In further features, closing plates are mounted to the spaced side walls.

One-piece trailing arm section

Vehicle air suspension having a lifting system

Growing community of inventors

Chester, United Kingdom

Martin Peaker