Pneumatic trailing beam suspension with a bolted axle connection, thus without welding the axle to the trailing arm-beams
View Patent ↗A pneumatic trailing beam suspension invention has an axle provided with a left and right welded-on landing pads. Each landing pad has a spaced pair of upper semi-circular axle-seat races that cup about a quarter of the axle's sidewall, terminate in a lower box foot. The left and trailing arm-beams are formed with recessed seat pockets for the landing pads' box feet to nest/dock/land in. The axle is otherwise clamped to the left and trailing arm-beams by U-bolts, or straight bolts and a mounting cap. The land pads and seat pockets cooperate to resist axle twisting by brake torque loading. There is additionally an upright fixed down pin extending upright from the center of the recessed seat pocket, and a cooperating dowel hole in the foot of the landing pad which also cooperate to resist axle twisting by brake torque loading.
1 . A pneumatic trailing beam suspension system for land vehicles, including trailers; comprising:
a tubular axle having a characteristic outside diameter and being made of a weldable metallic material;
left and right air springs;
left and right trailing arm-beams, each extending between (1) a leading, eye-formed end adapted for housing a bushing adapted to be bolted to a hanger hanging from an undercarriage of the land vehicle, or an intermediate structure thereto such as a sliding undercarriage being slidable and having multiple fixable longitudinal positions, and, (2) a trailing end formed with an air-spring seat adapted for seating one of the respective air springs;
left and right landing pads made of weldable metallic material, each landing pad having a box foot having a characteristic planar geometry outline and extending upwardly to an upper semi-circular concave raceway upper end sized and configured with an inside diameter adapted to closely match the characteristic outside diameter of the axle;
the left and right landing pads being welded to the axle at a selected spacing whereby each box foot projects radially outward on a common radial axis;
each of the left and right trailing arm-beams having an upper surface intermediate the leading and trailing ends formed with a recessed pocket seat sized and configured with a planar geometry outline counterpart to the characteristic geometry of the respective box foot of the respective landing pad;
the axle and left and right trailing arm-beams being assembled together with the landing pads previously welded to the axle thereafter, during assembly, being landed in the respective pocket seats of the respective trailing arm-beams; and
a plurality of bolts clamping the axle to the left and right trailing arm-beams whereby the close fit between the each transversely spaced left and right box foot of the respective transversely spaced landing pads, and, each transversely spaced left and right pockets seat of the respective transversely spaced trailing arm-beams resists twisting of the axle due to external impulses including brake torsion loading, or G-force impacts from over-the-road surface roughness.
2 . The pneumatic trailing beam suspension system of claim 1 , further comprising:
left and right fixed dowel pins extending upright from a bottom surface of the respective left and right recessed pockets in each of the left and right trailing arm-beams; and
each left and right box foot has a bottom wall and a dowel hole in the bottom sized and disposed to receive the respective left and right dowel pin for purposes of not only locating during initial assembly but also additionally to resist twisting of the axle due to external impulses including brake torsion loading, or G-force impacts from over-the-road surface roughness.
3 . The pneumatic trailing beam suspension system of claim 1 , wherein:
each landing pad comprises a monolithic piece of steel;
each box foot has a quadrilateral footprint;
each box foot has a bottom wall whereby each box foot is a solid block or plate of steel, excluding the option of bottom hole for receiving a dowel pin; and
each landing pad being welded to the axle at respective left and right dispositions along semi-circular concave raceways.
4 . The pneumatic trailing beam suspension system of claim 3 , wherein:
the axle comprises a monolithic hollow tube defining a sidewall;
each landing pad extending between inboard and outboard sidewalls tapering inward from the respective box foot to terminate in and being spaced by fore and aft transverse edges whereby each landing pad is sized and configured such that the transverse edges rest against or near longitudinally-spaced fore and aft strips on the sidewall of the axle whereby, if the axle sidewall is imagined as an imaginary clock dial, then the spaced fore and aft strips are spaced on opposite sides of six o'clock on that imaginary clock dial; and
each landing pad further being welded to the axle at the respective fore and aft transverse edges.
5 . The pneumatic trailing beam suspension system of claim 3 , wherein:
each trailing arm-beam comprises a leading steel I-beam portion and a trailing steel plate portion;
each I-beam portion extends from the eye-formed leading end tot a trailing end;
each plate portion having a fore portion overlapping the trailing end of the I-beam portion but terminating short of the eye-formed leading end, whereby each plate portion is formed with a through aperture in the characteristic planar geometry outline of respective box foot, whereby the seat pocket as a whole is recessed below an upper surface of the plate portion, and, whereby the seat pocket has a bottom wall that is actually a top surface of an upper wall the I-beam portion.
6 . The pneumatic trailing beam suspension system of claim 5 , further comprising:
left and right fixed dowel pins extending upright from a bottom surface of the respective left and right recessed pockets in each of the left and right trailing arm-beams; and
each left and right box foot has a bottom wall and a dowel hole in the bottom sized and disposed to receive the respective left and right dowel pin for purposes of not only locating during initial assembly but also additionally to resist twisting of the axle due to external impulses including brake torsion loading, or G-force impacts from over-the-road surface roughness.
7 . The pneumatic trailing beam suspension system of claim 1 , wherein:
the bolts comprise U-bolts.
8 . The pneumatic trailing beam suspension system of claim 1 , wherein:
the bolts comprise straight bolts and an axle-mounting cap.
9 . A pneumatic trailing beam suspension system for land vehicles, including trailers; comprising:
a hollow steel tubular axle having a sidewall having a characteristic outside diameter;
left and right air springs;
left and right trailing arm-beams, each extending between (1) a leading, eye-formed end adapted for housing a bushing adapted to be bolted to a hanger hanging from an undercarriage of the land vehicle, or an intermediate structure thereto such as a sliding undercarriage being slidable and having multiple fixable longitudinal positions, and, (2) a trailing end formed with an air-spring seat adapted for seating one of the respective air springs;
left and right steel monolithic landing pads, each landing pad having a box foot having a characteristic planar geometry outline and extending upwardly to an upper semicircular concave raceway upper end sized and configured with an inside diameter adapted to closely match the characteristic outside diameter of the axle and having an angular extent to receive about a lower quarter of the sidewall of the axle;
the left and right landing pads being welded to the axle at a selected left and right dispositions whereby each box foot projects radially outward on a common radial axis;
each of the left and right trailing arm-beams having an upper surface intermediate the leading and trailing ends formed with a recessed pocket seat sized and configured with a planar geometry outline counterpart to the characteristic geometry of the respective box foot of the respective landing pad;
the axle and trailing arm-beams being initially assembled together with the landing pads being landed in the respective pocket seats of the respective trailing arm-beams; and
a plurality of bolts clamping the axle to the left and right trailing arm-beams whereby the close fit between the each transversely spaced left and right box foot of the respective transversely spaced landing pads, and, each transversely spaced left and right pockets seat of the respective transversely spaced trailing arm-beams resists twisting of the axle due to external impulses including brake torsion loading, or G-force impacts from over-the-road surface roughness.
10 . The pneumatic trailing beam suspension system of claim 9 , wherein:
the bolts comprise straight bolts and an axle-mounting cap.
11 . The pneumatic trailing beam suspension system of claim 9 , wherein:
the bolts comprise U-bolts.
12 . The pneumatic trailing beam suspension system of claim 11 , further comprising:
left and right fixed dowel pins extending upright from a bottom surface of the respective left and right recessed pockets in each of the left and right trailing arm-beams; and
each left and right box foot has a bottom wall and a dowel hole in the bottom sized and disposed to receive the respective left and right dowel pin for purposes of not only locating during initial assembly but also additionally to resist twisting of the axle due to external impulses including brake torsion loading, or G-force impacts from over-the-road surface roughness.
13 . The pneumatic trailing beam suspension system of claim 12 , wherein:
each trailing arm-beam comprises a leading steel I-beam portion and a trailing steel plate portion;
each I-beam portion extends from the eye-formed leading end to a trailing end;
each plate portion having a fore portion overlapping the trailing end of the I-beam portion but terminating short of the eye-formed leading end, whereby each plate portion is formed with a through aperture in the characteristic planar geometry outline of respective box foot, whereby the seat pocket as a whole is recessed below an upper surface of the plate portion, and, whereby the seat pocket has a bottom wall that is actually a top surface of an upper wall the I-beam portion.
14 . A heavy duty trailing beam suspension system for cargo transportation vehicles; comprising:
a hollow steel tubular axle having a sidewall having a characteristic outside diameter:
left and right air springs;
left and right trailing arm-beams, each extending between a leading, eye-formed end adapted for housing a hanger bushing, and, a trailing end formed with an air-spring seat adapted for seating one of the respective air springs;
left and right steel landing pads, each landing pad having a box foot having a characteristic planar geometry outline and extending upwardly to an upper semi-circular concave raceway upper end sized and configured with an inside diameter adapted to closely match the characteristic outside diameter of the axle;
the left and right landing pads being welded along the raceways to the sidewall of the axle at spaced left and right dispositions whereby each box foot projects radially outward on a common radial axis;
each of the left and right trailing arm-beams having an upper surface intermediate the leading and trailing ends formed with a recessed pocket seat sized and configured for receiving and assembling with a respective box foot of a respective landing pad; and
a plurality of bolts clamping the axle to the left and right trailing arm-beams whereby an axle with a relatively thinner sidewall thickness can be utilized.
15 . The heavy duty trailing beam suspension system for cargo transportation vehicles of claim 14 , wherein:
the bolts comprise straight bolts and an axle-mounting cap.
16 . The heavy duty trailing beam suspension system for cargo transportation vehicles of claim 14 , wherein:
the bolts comprise outwardly tapered U-bolts that are wider at the base.
17 . The heavy duty trailing beam suspension system for cargo transportation vehicles of claim 14 , further comprising:
left and right fixed dowel pins extending upright from a bottom surface of the respective left and right recessed pockets in each of the left and right trailing arm-beams; and
each left and right box foot has a bottom wall and a dowel hole in the bottom sized and disposed to receive the respective left and right dowel pin for purposes of not only locating during initial assembly but also to resist twisting of the axle due to external impulses including brake torsion loading, or G-force impacts from over-the-road surface roughness.
18 . The heavy duty trailing beam suspension system for cargo transportation vehicles of claim 17 , wherein:
each trailing arm-beam comprises a leading steel I-beam portion and a trailing steel plate portion;
each I-beam portion extends from the eye-formed leading end to a trailing end;
each plate portion having a fore portion overlapping the trailing end of the I-beam portion but terminating short of the eye-formed leading end, whereby each plate portion is formed with a through aperture in the characteristic planar geometry outline of respective box foot, whereby the seat pocket as a whole is recessed below an upper surface of the plate portion, and, whereby the seat pocket has a bottom wall that is actually a top surface of an upper wall the I-beam portion.
19 . The heavy duty trailing beam suspension system for cargo transportation vehicles of claim 18 , wherein:
each landing pad comprises a monolithic piece of steel; and
each box foot has a bottom wall;
each bottom wall has at least plate steel thickness.
20 . The heavy duty trailing beam suspension system for cargo transportation vehicles of claim 19 , wherein:
each landing pad extends between inboard and outboard sidewalls tapering inward from the respective box foot to terminate in and being spaced by fore and aft transverse edges whereby each landing pad is sized and configured such that the transverse edges rest against or near longitudinally-spaced fore and aft strips on the sidewall of the axle whereby, if the axle sidewall is imagined as an imaginary clock dial, then the spaced fore and aft strips are spaced on opposite sides of six o'clock on that imaginary clock dial; and
each landing pad further being welded to the axle at the respective fore and aft transverse edges.