I-beam axle suspension system
An axle bearing suspension system and method has a pair of elongated beams having an upper section and lower section with T-shaped cross sections. The T-shaped cross sections are welded together to form beams having an I-beam cross section. The beams have attachment portions which are preferably arc shaped cylindrical portions for fixing the beams to the axle with the upper section being welded to an upper part of the axle and the lower section being welded to a lower part of the axle.
1. An axle bearing beam suspension system for an axle of a wheeled vehicle, the suspension system comprising a pair of elongated beams, one of the beams being located adjacent to each side of the vehicle, the beams being spaced from one another, the axle extending across an entire width of the vehicle, the axle having at least one wheel located on each end thereof, a pneumatic bellows located en each of the beams, a hanger bracket located at one end of each beam for connecting the axle to a frame of the vehicle, an opposite end of each beam being connected to the axle, each beam being formed from an upper section and lower section, each section having one end that is connected directly or indirectly to the hanger bracket and an attachment portion at an end that is connected to the axle, the attachment portion having a shape that corresponds to part of an outer surface of the axle, the attachment portion on the lower section being welded to a lower part of the axle and the attachment portion on the upper section being welded to an upper part of the axle immediately above the lower section, the two attachment portions of the upper and lower sections of each beam being substantially the same as one another, the upper section having a surface to support the bellows, the upper and lower sections each having T-shaped cross sections, a bottom edge of the upper section having a shape that is a mirror image of an upper edge of the lower section such that the upper and lower edges of each section are curved form a line of contact with one another for some distance when the sections are installed on the axle.
2. An axle bearing suspension system is claimed in claim 1 wherein each section has a web with a centrally located flange extending perpendicularly thereto, the web and flange on the upper section being connected to the attachment portion though a plurality at gussets extending radially from the attachment portion to the web and flange.
3. An axle bearing suspension system as claimed in claim 2 wherein the web on the lower section is connected to the attachment portion radially and the flange is connected to the attachment portion tangentially.
4. An axle bearing suspension system as claimed in claim 3 wherein the web of each section is connected to the attachment portion along an arc shaped line of contact.
5. An axle bearing suspension system as claimed in claim 2 wherein the beams are pivotally connected to the hanger bracket.
6. An axle bearing suspension system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the attachment portions are substantially two half cylinders when the axle has a circular cross section.
7. An axle bearing suspension system as claimed in claim 6 wherein each haft cylinder has one uneven edge and one straight edge, the uneven edge having a shape similar to a numeral 3 through part of its length, the uneven edges being on opposite sides of the two half cylinders so that the uneven edge of one half cylinder is adjacent to the straight edge of the other half cylinder.
8. An axle bearing suspension system as claimed in claim 7 wherein the half cylinders are welded to the axle along the uneven edge and along that portion of the straight edge that is adjacent to the uneven edge, the half cylinders each having a linear edge extending on either side of the uneven edge the two linear edges being welded to that portion of the straight edge of the other half cylinder that is adjacent to the linear edges, but not being welded to the axle.
9. An axle bearing suspension system as claimed in claim 7 wherein the straight edge of the upper section is located on the bellows side of the axle, the upper section having a web overlying the half cylinder, the web being cut away in a corresponding shape to the uneven edge of the upper section to allow access to the uneven edge of the upper section for welding.
10. An axle bearing beam suspension system for an axle of a wheeled vehicle, the suspension system comprising a pair of elongated beams, one of the beams being located adjacent to each side of the vehicle, the beams being spaced from one another, the axle extending across an entire width of the vehicle, the axle having at least one wheel located on each end thereof, a pneumatic located on each of the beams, a hanger bracket located on one end of each beam for connecting each beam to a frame of the vehicle, each beam having an upper section and a lower section, the upper and lower sections each having a T-shaped cross section, the lower section being inverted relative to the upper section, the upper and lower section having a corresponding shape to one another to fit together along a curved line of contact to form an I-beam when the two sections are installed on an axle, each section having an attachment portion at an end that is to be affixed to the axle, the attachment portions corresponding to the cross sectional shape of the axle and being sized to be affixed around the axle with the lower section being substantially on a bottom half of the axle and the upper section being substantially on an upper half of the axle.
11. An axle bearing beam suspension system for an axle of a wheeled vehicle, the suspension system comprising a pair of elongated beams, one of the beams being located adjacent to each side of the vehicle, the beams being spaced from one another, the axle extending across an entire width of the vehicle, the axle having at least one wheel located on each and thereof, a pneumatic bellows located on each of the beams, a hanger bracket located on one end of each beam for connecting each beam to a frame of the vehicle, each beam having an elongated upper section and an elongated lower section, the upper and lower sections each having a T-shaped cross section with the lower section being inverted relative to the upper section to form the beam along a line of contact with an I-shaped cross section when the two sections are installed on the axle, the upper section having a lower edge corresponding in shape to an upper edge of the lower section so that the two edges are in contact with one another for some distance when the sections are installed on the axle, the upper and lower edges being curved.
12. An axle bearing suspension system as claimed in any one of claim 1 , 10 or 11 wherein the upper section has a smoothly curving lower edge that is lower at each end and higher at a centre and the lower section having a smoothly curving upper edge corresponding to the lower edge, the lower section having a lower surface that is smoothly curving to correspond to the upper edge.
13. An axle bearing suspension system as claimed in any one of claim 1 , 10 or 11 wherein the elongated beams each angle inward from the hanger bracket to the axle so that the flange on the upper section on a side of the axle opposite to the hanger frame is centered under the bellows, the bellows being an air spring.
14. A method of fabricating an axle bearing beam suspension system for an axle of a wheeled vehicle, the suspension system having a parallel elongated beams that are spaced from one another, the axle extending across an entire width of the vehicle, the axle having at least one wheel located on each end thereof, pneumatic bellows located on each of the beams, a hanger bracket located on one end of each beam where connecting the axle to a frame of a vehicle, the method comprising constructing a lower section of the beam and an upper section of the beam separately with each section having a T-shaped cross section, the T-shaped cross section being a web that is centrally and perpendicularly mounted on a flange, constructing the flange of the upper section to curve downward at each end, constructing the flange of the lower section to correspond to the flange of the upper section and also to have a web, the flange of the upper section and the flange of the lower section forming a line of contact with one another when the upper and lower sections are brought together to form the beam, each section having a bracket at one end to directly or indirectly connect the two sections to the homer bracket, an opposite end of each section having an attachment portion for attaching the sections to the axle, and welding the attachment portions to the axle, one above the other, forming the attachment portions for each beam to have a shape of substantially two half cylinders when the axle has a circular cross section, shaping each of the half cylinders to have one uneven edge and one straight edge.
15. A method as claimed in claim 14 including the steps of locating a linear edge on either side of the uneven edge of each half cylinder and welding the linear edges to that portion of the straight edge of the other half cylinder that is adjacent to the linear edges but not welded to the axle and welding to the axle that portion of the uneven edge having the shape of the numeral 3 at that portion of the straight edge that is adjacent to the uneven edge.