Bus suspension

Construction of the front and rear air suspension of a Mercedes-Benz bus. Spring element (air spring) it is made in the form of a bellows with annular ribs. Such a bellows, made of synthetic rubber reinforced with nylon cord, it is filled with air and is seated between the axle and the frame of the vehicle. The air pressure in the bellows is regulated by valves in accordance with the momentary loads. Compressed air is supplied from the tank, which is recharged by a compressor driven by the vehicle's engine. Citroen DS car 19 it is equipped with a hydraulic-pneumatic suspension. In this car, all wheels are independently suspended on the wishbones. The levers are mounted on the rocker axles, which transfer the wheel movements to the piston rods of the spring elements. The springing element of the suspension is a metal ball divided by an elastic diaphragm. One part of the ball contains compressed gas (most often nitrogen), the other part, filled with oil, connects to the cylinder, in which the piston connected to the piston rod of the spring element moves. The piston uses oil to compress the gas in a metal ball and change its volume and pressure. The space between the piston and the diaphragm of the spring element is connected to the hydraulic system, pressure maintained by the pump, powered by the engine of the vehicle.