SUSPENS ION SYSTEM"

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This Patent Appl ication claims priority from Italian Patent Application No . 102022000002366 filed on February 9 , 2022 , the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference .

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention concerns a support system for a stabili zer bar, in particular a support system for a stabili zer bar for a suspension system .

The present invention finds its preferred, although not exclusive , application in a suspension system for a vehicle . Reference will be made to this application by way o f example below .

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Vehicular suspension systems for heavy or commercial vehicles may be provided with a stabili zer bar configured to dampen the torque acting between the right and left sides of the vehicle .

Stabili zer bars , as known, are supported to exchange forces with the chassis . To this aim, supports are provided to support the stabili zer bar extremities .

Figure 1 discloses a sectional view of a known embodiment of support system 1' for a stabilizer bar 10' . Such support system 1' comprises a body 2' defining a pair of arms 3' . The arms 3' are configured to define respective openings to allow the passage of a screw rod 4' configured to allow the fixation of other suspension elements 5' . One of the arm 3' laser welded to the extremity of the stabilizer bar 10' . In particular, to allow laser welding, the support 1' must be realized in cast steel and the machining should be designed to increase the welding resistance.

However, the above described structure presents a plurality of drawbacks. First, the necessity of realization in cast steel of the support and the need of laser welding increases cost of manufacturing and limit the use of different, cheaper or lighter, materials. Moreover, the laser welding is a very complex technique that is not disposable everywhere; accordingly, this condition the plant of production of the aforementioned support system.

Clearly, the support system must be used with a specific stabilizer bar that cannot be changed. Indeed, the machining is optimized for the shape of the chosen stabilizer bar. This furthermore increases costs and complexity of current system.

Moreover, the support system is substantially rigid and does not allow at all any compensation to vehicular motion.

Therefore, the need is felt to provide a support system for a stabili zer bar that solves the aforementioned drawbacks .

An aim of the present invention is to satis fy the above mentioned needs in a cost-ef fective and optimi zed manner .

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The aforementioned aim is reached by a support system for a stabili zer bar as claimed in the appended set of claims .

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

For a better understanding of the present invention, a preferred embodiment is described in the following, by way of a non-limiting example , with reference to the attached drawings wherein :

• Figure 1 is a sectional view of a support system for a stabili zer bar as known in the prior art ;

• Figure 2 is a sectional view of a support system for a stabili zer bar according to the present invention; and

• Figure 3 is a perspective section view of a stabili zer bar mounted to a pair of support systems according to the invention .

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In figures 1 and 2 it is shown a stabili zer bar 10 for a suspension system of a vehicle extending a long a longitudinal axis A and carried at its extremities by a respective support system 1 according to the invention . The stabili zer bar 10 is at least partially hollow, i . e . defining a cavity 11 that extends preferably along the longitudinal axis A. The cavity preferably extends along the entirety of the stabili zer bar 10 that is therefore annular . In particular, the stabili zer bar 10 has a cylindrical shape .

As said, each longitudinal extremity of the stabili zer bar 10 is supported by a support system 1 ; each support system 1 comprises a support body 2 comprising a connection portion 2a suitable for allowing the connection of support body to a portion of the vehicle or to its suspension system and a structural portion 2b . In the disclosed example , the connection portion allows a hinge connection, as shown in figure 2 .

The support body 2 comprises further a pair or arms 3a, 3b extending from structural portion 2b along a transversal direction with respect to longitudinal axis A and spaced longitudinally one with respect to the other . In particular, in the disclosed embodiment , the two arms 3a, 3b are symmetric with respect to a transversal plane of the structural portion 2b .

Each arm 3a, 3b defines an opening 4a, 4b in a terminal portion thereof with respect to the structural body 2b of the support body 2 . In particular, openings 4a, 4b are through openings along longitudinal axis A and coaxial one with respect to the other . The support system 1 further comprise a support rod 5 configured to be inserted within openings 4a, 4b and to extend longitudinally over the two arms 3a, 3b and a support plug 6 configured to be housed within cavity 11 in a fixed manner with respect to stabili zer bar .

In particular, the support plug 6 is configured to be fixedly coupled with the support rod 5 . In the disclosed embodiment , the support rod 5 is made as a screw and the support plug 6 is made as a nut so that they can be screwed together to be coupled in fixed, but releasably, manner .

In particular, the support plug 6 is housed within cavity 11 in a preload radial manner thereby being maintained fixed to the stabili zer bar 10 via frictional force .

The support plug 6 defines therefore a portion housed within stabili zer bar 10 and a portion housed within the opening 4b . Between the aforementioned portions , the support plug 6 defines a recess 7 reali zed adj acent to the stabili zer bar 10 and configured to house a welding 8 to permanently fixe the stabili zer bar 10 to support plug 6 .

In detail , the recess 7 is an annular groove and, preferably, is made in correspondence of a shoulder between the two aforementioned portions of support plug 6 . The welding 8 is advantageously a MIG, Metal Inert Gas , welding .

The support plug 6 is advantageously reali zed in a di f ferent material with respect to the support body 2 , in particular, it is reali zed in steel so as to improve the weld with the stabili zer bar 10 .

The support body 2 can be reali zed in any suitable material , such as cast iron or in a composite material .

The portion of support plug 6 carried in opening 4b is preferably sliding in direct contact with arm 3b . On the opposite side , support rod 5 is supported in opening 4a via sliding means 9 configured to cooperate with support rod 5 to allow its rotation within opening 4a .

In particular, sliding means 9 comprise a radial bushing that is radially housed about support rod 5 and radially interposed between arm 3a and this latter .

The support rod 5 is dimensioned to be used as a hinge for suspension elements S ' , S ' ' of the suspension system . Such suspension elements S ' , S ' ' are carried in a rotatable way around longitudinal axis A about support rod 5 longitudinally between arms 3a, 3b .

The operation of the embodiment of the invention as described above is the following .

As known, the vehicle moves on the ground and the axle moves with respect to chassis and is dampened via suspension system . In particular, loads are imparted via support systems 1 to the stabili zer bar 10 through its extremities . In detail , load is trans ferred via the support rod and plug 5 , 6 between the stabili zer bar 10 and the arms 3a, 3b . I f any radial variation occurs , the sliding means 9 may partially compensate such variation thereby reducing the stress at welding 8 . Similarly, the coupling of support plug within stabili zer bar 10 reduces the overall stress at welding 8 .

In view of the foregoing, the advantages of a support system according to the invention are apparent .

The proposed support system allow to fix the stabili zer bar without a direct welding between support body and the stabili zer bar . In this way, the support body may be reali zed in any suitable material with respect to the stabili zer bar . Furthermore , there is no need of peculiar machining on the support body to allow welding of the stabili zer bar .

Moreover, the welding technique may be a standard welding technique instead of laser welding, thereby reducing costs and allowing the possibility of manufacturing anywhere the stabili zer bar assembly .

Furthermore , the welding is reali zed in a speci fic recess of a plug inserted within the support rod . Therefore , the stresses at welding j oint are reduced and the useful li fe of such welding connection is increased .

The use of a plug fixable to a support rod, furthermore allows a simply mounting of the stabili zer bar assembly . Furthermore , the support rod may be used as hinge for other elements of the suspension thereby reducing spaces in suspension assembly . The support plug and support rod reali zed as a screw- nut system provides a very stable and simple solution that allows the integration of manufacturing of the recess on support plug, thereby reducing manufacturing costs . The use of sliding means within one of the openings furthermore allows to compensate relative motions within the parts of the vehicle , thereby reducing stresses at support body .

It is clear that modi fications can be made to the described support system which do not extend beyond the scope of protection defined by the claims .

For example , the shape of recess 7 , of stabili zer bar

10 and support body 2 or its arms 3a, 3b may vary .

Similarly, support plug and support rod may be coupled in a di f ferent manner and may have di f ferent shapes .