Seal arrangement for an air spring system

• US 9,694,642 B2
• Filed: 03/19/2015
• Issued: 07/04/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Knorr-Bremse Systeme Fur Nutzfahrzeuge GMBH (Estate of Heinz Hermann Thiele)
• Original Assignee: Knorr-Bremse Systeme Fur Nutzfahrzeuge GMBH (Estate of Heinz Hermann Thiele)
• Inventors: Kantor, Kornel, Tanczos, Miklos
• Primary Examiner(s): Irvin, Thomas
• Application Number:
  US14/663,129
• Publication Number:
  US 20150191066A1
• Time in Patent Office: 838 Days
• Field of Search: 267 6424, 267 6423, 18832216
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 15/062 the spring being arranged around the damper B60G15/061, B60G15/067, B60G15/07 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 15/066 the spring being different from a coil spring B60G15/065 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 15/12 and fluid damper
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 15/14 the damper being connected to the stub axle and the spring being arranged around the damper
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 17/0485 the springs being pneumatic springs with a flexible wall, e.g. with levelling valves
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 17/0521 the spring having a flexible wall
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 17/0528 Pressure regulating or air filling valves
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2202/314 The spring being a pneumatic spring
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2204/1262 on a damper
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2204/40 Auxiliary suspension parts; Adjustment of suspensions
• CPC Class Codes: F16F 9/05 the flexible wall being of the rolling diaphragm type
• CPC Class Codes: F16F 9/084 comprising a gas spring contained within a flexible wall, the wall not being in contact with the damping fluid, i.e. mounted externally on the damper cylinder
• CPC Class Codes: F16F 9/3242 of cylinder ends, e.g. caps
• CPC Class Codes: F16F 9/369 Sealings for elements other than pistons or piston rods, e.g. valves
• CPC Class Codes: F16J 15/021 with elastic packing F16J15/08 takes precedence

Abstract

A seal arrangement for an air spring system for sealing off a shock-absorbing damper is disclosed. The shock-absorbing damper is situated in a rolling tube and in another tube, where the air spring system has at least one integrated control valve for the admission of compressed air into a pressure chamber formed between the outer tube, the rolling tube, and an air spring bellows that connects the outer tube and rolling tube. The seal arrangement is arranged between an inner circumferential surface of the rolling tube and an outer circumferential surface of the shock-absorbing damper and/or between an inner circumferential surface of the outer tube and the outer circumferential surface of the shock-absorbing damper. A support ring which is of step-shaped form on an outer circumferential surface is arranged on a distal end of the rolling tube and/or on a distal end of the outer tube.

Claims

1. An air spring system with a seal arrangement, comprising:

a shock absorber which is disposed in a rolling tube and an outer tube;

a control valve for loading a pressure chamber with compressed air, wherein the pressure chamber is formed between the rolling tube, the outer tube, and an air spring bellows which connects the rolling tube and the outer tube; and

a seal arrangement, wherein the seal arrangement is disposed between an inner circumferential face of the rolling tube and an outer circumferential face of the shock absorber, the seal arrangement comprising;

a supporting ring which has a step-shaped configuration on an outer circumferential face of the supporting ring, wherein the supporting ring is disposed at a distal end of the rolling tube;

wherein the distal end of the rolling tube includes, on the inner circumferential face, a receiving region in which the supporting ring is received, wherein the receiving region has a greater internal diameter than a surrounding region of the rolling tube and wherein an increase in the internal diameter forms a shoulder;

a seal element, wherein the seal element is arranged axially between an end face of the supporting ring and the shoulder; and

an annular disk, wherein the annular disk is arranged between the seal element and the end face of the supporting ring.

2. The air spring system with the seal arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the supporting ring is a metallic or a polymeric material.

3. The air spring system with the seal arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the supporting ring is connected to the shock absorber in an integrally joined manner.

4. The air spring system with the seal arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the supporting ring has at least two step faces, wherein one of the at least two step faces is a supporting face for the rolling tube and wherein another of the at least two step faces is a supporting face for the seal element or the annular disk.

5. The air spring system with the seal arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the annular disk is mounted in a floating manner between the outer circumferential face of the shock absorber and the inner circumferential face of the rolling tube.

6. The air spring system with the seal arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the annular disk is a metallic or a polymeric material and wherein an end side of the annular disk arranged next to the seal element is surface-ground.

7. The air spring system with the seal arrangement as claimed in claim 1, wherein the end face of the supporting ring is surface-ground.

8. An air spring system with a seal arrangement, comprising:

a shock absorber which is disposed in a rolling tube and an outer tube;

a control valve for loading a pressure chamber with compressed air, wherein the pressure chamber is formed between the rolling tube, the outer tube, and an air spring bellows which connects the rolling tube and the outer tube; and

a seal arrangement, wherein the seal arrangement is disposed between an inner circumferential face of the outer tube and an outer circumferential face of the shock absorber, the seal arrangement comprising;

a supporting ring which has a step-shaped configuration on an outer circumferential face of the supporting ring, wherein the supporting ring is disposed at a distal end of the outer tube;

wherein the distal end of the outer tube includes, on the inner circumferential face, a receiving region in which the supporting ring is received, wherein the receiving region has a greater internal diameter than a surrounding region of the outer tube and wherein an increase in the internal diameter forms a shoulder;

a seal element, wherein the seal element is arranged axially between an end face of the supporting ring and the shoulder; and

an annular disk, wherein the annular disk is arranged between the seal element and the end face of the supporting ring.

9. The air spring system with the seal arrangement as claimed in claim 8, wherein the supporting ring is a metallic or a polymeric material.

10. The air spring system with the seal arrangement as claimed in claim 8, wherein the supporting ring is connected to the shock absorber in an integrally joined manner.

11. The air spring system with the seal arrangement as claimed in claim 8, wherein the supporting ring has at least two step faces, wherein one of the at least two step faces is a supporting face for the outer tube and wherein another of the at least two step faces is a supporting face for the seal element or the annular disk.

12. The air spring system with the seal arrangement as claimed in claim 8, wherein the annular disk is mounted in a floating manner between the outer circumferential face of the shock absorber and the inner circumferential face of the outer tube.

13. The air spring system with the seal arrangement as claimed in claim 8, wherein the annular disk is a metallic or a polymeric material and wherein an end side of the annular disk arranged next to the seal element is surface-ground.

14. The air spring system with the seal arrangement as claimed in claim 8, wherein the end face of the supporting ring is surface-ground.