The invention relates to a chassis mounting unit for mounting a bearing bracket to a vehicle chassis, said bearing bracket adapted to pivotally mount a trailing arm of a wheel axle suspension, wherein the mounting unit comprises a mounting plate adapted to mount the bearing bracket against.

US 8.960.694 discloses a chassis frame wherein an upper end portion of a mounting plate is bolted to a longitudinal chassis beam. A bearing bracket is constituted by two side plates bolted to a lower end portion of the mounting plate. A strut element is bolted to an overhead transverse chassis beam and is attached to a pivot bolt for mounting a trailing arm to the bearing bracket.

The invention has for an object to provide an improved chassis component for mounting a bearing bracket.

This object is achieved by a chassis mounting unit according to the preamble of claim 1, wherein the chassis mounting unit furthermore comprises a transverse strut beam having a first end welded to the mounting plate and having an opposite second end to be attached to an overhead chassis beam, wherein the transverse strut beam extends transversely to the mounting plate.

An advantage of this chassis mounting unit is that, since the strut beam is connected to the mounting plate, the bearing bracket or the pivot bolt of the wheel axle suspension can be easily mounted to the chassis without having to bother about a strut, which has to be connected to the bearing bracket. Also removal of the bearing bracket from the mounting plate without removing or loosening the strut beam becomes possible, whereby disassembly of the suspension from the chassis becomes simpler and replacement of suspension parts becomes easier.

In a preferred embodiment, the mounting plate lies substantially in a first plane, and the strut beam lies substantially in a second plane, which is transverse, preferably perpendicular, to the first plane. The mounting plate has an upper half and a lower half, wherein preferably the first end of the strut beam is welded to the lower half of the mounting plate.

In a preferred embodiment, the mounting plate has an upper edge adapted to be welded to a longitudinal chassis beam of the vehicle chassis. Alternatively or in addition, the mounting plate may have mounting holes at least in a zone near the upper edge for bolting the mounting plate to a longitudinal chassis beam.

In a preferred embodiment the strut beam extends inclined upwardly.

The second end of the strut member may be located on a height level beyond the height level of the upper edge of the mounting plate.

In a preferred embodiment, the second end of the strut beam is adapted to be welded to the overhead chassis beam. Alternatively or in addition, the strut beam may have a zone near the second end, which has mounting holes adapted to bolt said zone to the overhead chassis beam.

In a preferred embodiment, the mounting plate has mounting holes for bolting a bearing bracket to the mounting plate. These mounting holes may be alignment holes, e.g. slotted holes such that the bearing bracket can be aligned with respect to the chassis. Thereby the axle can be aligned with respect to the chassis. Another option is that the mounting plate has round holes, and that the side plates of the bearing bracket have alignment holes, e.g. slotted holes to allow alignment of the bearing bracket with respect to the chassis.

In a possible embodiment, the mounting plate has two of said mounting holes above each other near a rear edge of the mounting plate, and a recess is formed in the rear edge of the mounting plate for receiving a front end portion of the trailing arm. Preferably, the recess in the rear edge is located rearward from the first end of the strut member.

In a particular embodiment the mounting plate has at least a first mounting hole, a second mounting hole and a third mounting hole, wherein:

- the first mounting hole is located upwardly from the second mounting hole and third mounting hole,

- the second mounting hole and third mounting hole are located above each other near a rear edge of the mounting plate, - a recess is formed in the rear edge of the mounting plate for receiving a front end portion of the trailing arm, said recess being located between the second mounting hole and third mounting hole seen in a height direction,

- the first mounting hole is a round hole defining an adjustment pivot axis with the corresponding bolt for mounting the bearing bracket,

- the second mounting hole and third mounting hole are slotted holes each having a longitudinal axis, the respective longitudinal axes of the second and third mounting holes being substantially perpendicular to the respective radius from the adjustment pivot axis to the centre of the second and third mounting holes, such that the position of the trailing arm can be adjusted in a substantially longitudinal direction of the vehicle when the bolts are loose, by swivelling the bearing bracket around the adjustment pivot axis defined by the first mounting hole and the corresponding bolt.

The mounting holes in the side plates of the bearing bracket in this embodiment are round holes. Preferably, the third mounting hole has a larger longitudinal dimension than the second mounting hole.

In another possible embodiment, the mounting plate has two of said mounting holes next to each other near a lower edge of the mounting plate.

The invention also relates to a vehicle chassis adapted to mount an air sprung wheel axle suspension on, wherein the chassis comprises at least two substantially parallel longitudinal beams and a number of cross beams interconnecting the longitudinal beams, wherein the vehicle chassis furthermore comprises at least two chassis mounting units as described in the above, wherein the mounting plate of each of the chassis mounting units is welded to one of the longitudinal chassis beams, and the second end of the strut member of each of the chassis mounting units is welded to one of the cross beams. Although welding is preferred, the mounting plate can alternatively be bolted to the chassis beam instead of welded. Also the strut beam may be bolted instead of welded.

The invention furthermore relates to a method for manufacturing a chassis mounting unit to mount an air sprung wheel axle suspension on, wherein:

- a mounting plate is cut from a steel plate, e.g. by laser cutting;

- a strut beam is cut from a steel plate, e.g. by laser cutting;

- the strut beam is arranged with a first end thereof against the mounting plate such that it extends in a plane perpendicular to the plane of the mounting plate; and

- the first end of the strut beam is welded to the mounting plate. The invention also relates to a method for manufacturing a vehicle chassis, wherein the above mentioned method steps are performed, and wherein a chassis frame is provided comprising at least two substantially parallel longitudinal beams and a number of cross beams interconnecting the longitudinal beams, and wherein a second end of the strut beam of the chassis mounting unit is welded to a cross beam of the chassis frame and the mounting plate is welded to a longitudinal beam of the chassis frame.

An advantage of the method to manufacture the vehicle chassis in this way according to the invention is that the connection between the strut beam and the mounting plate is welded before the strut beam and the mounting plate are welded respectively to the chassis. Thereby the mounting plate and the strut beam can be positioned before welding such that a horizontal weld can be made which in general results in a better weld because gravity has no influence on the weld. In other words, first welding the mounting plate and the strut beam together avoids a weld in vertical direction.

In a further method step, the vehicle chassis may be painted after the strut beam is welded to the mounting plate and the crossbeam.

Another aspect of the invention relates to an adjustable bearing bracket assembly for pivotally connecting a front end portion of a trailing arm of a vehicle wheel axle suspension to a vehicle chassis. The bearing bracket assembly comprises: a mounting plate attached or to be attached to an overhead longitudinal chassis beam, wherein the mounting plate has mounting holes for bolting a bearing bracket to the mounting plate; a bearing bracket comprising two side plates, each side plate having mounting holes to be aligned with the mounting holes of the mounting plate; and mounting bolts extending through said aligned holes so as to clamp the side plates of the bearing bracket against the mounting plate. One of the mounting holes in the mounting plate is formed as a round hole defining an adjustment pivot axis with the corresponding mounting bolt for mounting the side plates of the bearing bracket, and wherein the other mounting holes are formed as slotted holes, each having a longitudinal axis, the respective longitudinal axes of said other mounting holes being substantially perpendicular to the respective radius from said adjustment pivot axis to the centre of said other mounting holes, such that the position of the side plates of the bearing bracket is adjustable with respect to the mounting plate whereby the position of the trailing arm is adjustable in a substantially longitudinal direction of the vehicle.

In a further embodiment of the bearing bracket assembly, the slotted mounting holes are arranged above each other near a rear edge of the mounting plate, and a recess is formed in the rear edge of the mounting plate between the slotted holes for receiving a front end portion of the trailing arm.

The round hole is preferably located above the slotted holes. Thereby the adjustment pivot axis is located closer to a possible mounting point for a shock absorber, which results in that by adjustment of the bearing bracket the influence of the adjustment on the position of the shock absorber is as small as possible.

The invention also relates to an air sprung wheel axle suspension including a bearing bracket assembly as described in the above, and furthermore comprising a trailing arm pivotally mounted with a front end to the bearing bracket and an air spring mounted to a rear end portion of the trailing arm, and wherein an axle body is attached to or attachable to the trailing arm.

The invention also relates to a vehicle such as a truck, a trailer or a semi-trailer, comprising a vehicle chassis and an air sprung wheel axle suspension as mentioned above mounted to the vehicle chassis.

Further details of the invention will be described in the following description with reference to the drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 shows an isometric view of an air sprung wheel axle suspension mounted to a vehicle chassis including a mounting unit according to the invention,

Fig. 2 shows a side view of the chassis with the suspension of Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 shows an exploded view of the chassis with the suspension of Fig. 1,

Fig. 4 shows an isometric view of the chassis shown in Fig. 1 , including the mounting unit according to the invention,

Fig. 5 illustrates in a view in perspective a range of orientations in which a strut beam of the mounting unit of the invention can be mounted to a chassis frame,

Fig. 6 shows an isometric view of an air sprung wheel axle suspension mounted to a vehicle chassis including another embodiment of a mounting unit according to the invention, Fig. 7 shows an isometric view of the chassis shown in Fig. 6, including the other mounting unit according to the invention,

Fig. 8 shows a side elevational view of a trailing arm connected to a bearing bracket assembly according to another aspect of the invention,

Fig. 9 shows a side elevational view of the bearing bracket assembly of Fig. 8 with one side plate removed, and

Fig. 10 shows a side elevational view of a mounting plate of the bearing bracket assembly of Fig. 8.

Fig. 1 shows part of a vehicle chassis 1 comprising longitudinal beams 2 and cross beams 3. The longitudinal beams 2 are in the embodiment shown configured as I-beams having a web and two flanges. The cross beams 3 are in the shown embodiment configured as tubular beams with a square cross section. It is noted that the vehicle chassis may also have longitudinal and crossbeams formed in another way.

A wheel axle is arranged under the chassis 1. The wheel axle comprises a tubular axle body 4, which extends in the transverse direction of the vehicle. The axle body 4 is attached to the chassis by means of an air sprung wheel axle suspension. The air sprung wheel axle suspension comprises a bearing bracket 5, a trailing arm 6, an air spring 7 and attachment means 8 to attach the axle body 4 to the trailing arm 6. In the exemplary embodiment shown the attachment means 8 comprise an axle pad 9 defining an axle seat for the axle body 4 and U-bolts 10 for tightening the axle body 4 in the axle seat, and for tightening the axle pad 9 against the trailing arm 6.

As can be seen in Fig. 3, the trailing arm 6 has a rear end portion 61 adapted to mount the air spring 7 on. The trailing arm 6 furthermore has a front end portion 62, which is pivotally connected to the bearing bracket 5.

In this example the trailing arm 6 is a flexible trailing arm made of spring steel. It has a spring portion 63, which has thickness taper, in particular with a parabolic thickness profile. The spring portion adjoins the front end portion 62.

Furthermore, in this example the front end portion 62 of the trailing arm 6 is formed as a hammerhead. The bearing bracket 5 comprises two side plates 51, which have cup-like receiving portions 52 for receiving the hammerhead of the trailing arm 6. The side plates 51 are bolted together by bolts 53 and nuts 54 with a mounting plate 12 in between (see Fig. 3) as will be described below in further detail.

It is to be noted that the trailing arm 6 having a hammerhead is only used by way of example. In the context of the present invention it is also possible to use a trailing arm having an eyelet at a front end portion. Such an eyelet can be attached in a well-known manner to a bearing bracket by means of a pivot bolt, which extends through two opposing pivot bolt mounting holes in the side plates of the bearing bracket. In the example shown the side plates may then thus have such mounting holes instead of the cup-like receiving portions 52.

In the embodiment shown the side plates 51 of the bearing bracket 5 furthermore have an arm 55, which extends rearward and upwardly. In an end portion of the arm 55 a mounting hole 56 is formed, which allows the mounting of a shock damper between the arms 55. In the figures this shock damper is not shown.

The present invention relates in particular to a chassis mounting unit 11, which will be described with reference to Figs. 4 and 5. The chassis mounting unit 11 comprises the above- mentioned mounting plate 12 and a strut beam 13. The mounting plate 12 is a substantially flat steel plate having a substantially triangular shape. It has an upper half 12A and a lower half 12B. The upper half 12A has an upper edge 12C which in use is positioned against the underside of the associated longitudinal chassis beam 2 and welded thereto. The mounting plate preferably extends in a plane, which is perpendicular to the axis of the axle body 4. In the particular example shown in the figures, the mounting plate 12 is aligned with the web of the longitudinal chassis beam 2.

In the lower half 12B of the mounting plate 12 mounting holes 14 are formed. The mounting holes 14 are for passing through fastening elements, preferably bolts 53, to attach the side plates 51 of the bearing bracket 5 to the mounting plate 12.

The strut beam 13 extends from the inner side of the mounting plate 12, in particular from the lower half 12B of the mounting plate 12, upwardly and inwardly. The strut beam 13 has a first end 13A, which is welded to the inner side of the mounting plate 12, and a second end 13B which in use is welded to the cross beam 3. The strut beam 13 is in the shown embodiment an elongate flat steel plate. In the assembled state on the chassis, the centre line of the strut beam 13 extends inclined upwardly from the mounting plate 12 to the cross beam 3. During manufacturing of the mounting unit 11, the mounting plate 12 is cut from a steel plate. The strut beam 13 is also cut from a steel plate. The strut beam 13 is arranged with a first end 13A thereof against the mounting plate 12 such that it extends in a plane perpendicular to the plane of the mounting plate 12. Next, the first end 13A of the strut beam 13 is welded to the mounting plate 12. The mounting unit 11 is attached to the chassis frame 1 by welding the second end 13B of the strut beam, along the edges to the cross beam 3 and the mounting plate 12 is welded to a longitudinal beam 2 of the chassis frame 1.

After the mounting units 11 have been welded to the chassis frame 1 , the entire assembly 1 ,

11 can be painted/coated.

One advantage of the strut beam 13 being cut from a flat plate is that it is slightly flexible such that the second end 13B can be moved to the crossbeam 3 surface, when the mounting plate

12 is already welded to the longitudinal beam 2. This is illustrated in Fig. 5, wherein in full lines the perpendicular position, and in dashed lines two other positions of the strut beam 13 are shown. In this way tolerances and slight deviations in the position of the cross beam relative to the position of the mounting plate can be overcome.

In the example of Figs. 1-5 the bearing bracket 5 comprises two opposite side plates 51, which are arranged at a rear end of the mounting plate 12, rearward of the location where the end 13A of the strut beam 13 is welded to the mounting plate 12. The mounting plate 12 has a recess 12E formed in a rear edge 12D thereof. The recess 12E is configured to receive the front end portion 62 of the trailing arm 6. In the example shown the front end portion 62 has a hammerhead configuration, however it is also possible that the front end portion has an eyelet configuration, which is received in the recess 12E. Preferably, the pivot axis defined by the hammerhead or the eyelet at the front end portion crosses the centre line of the strut beam 13 in the plane of the mounting plate 12. In this way, longitudinal forces and transverse forces applied by the trailing arm 6 on the mounting plate 12 are well absorbed and lead towards the chassis 1.

In Figs. 6 and 7 another embodiment is shown. The vehicle chassis 1 comprising longitudinal beams 2 and cross beams 3 is the same as in the previous figures. Also the axle body 4 of the wheel axle and the trailing arm 6, the air spring 7 and attachment means 8 to attach the axle body 4 to the trailing arm 6 are the same as in the previous figures and therefore referral is made to the above description for the description of the parts. The bearing bracket 105 and the chassis mounting unit 11 are different from the carrier bracket 5 and chassis mounting unit 11 as will be described below. In Fig. 6 and 7 is shown a chassis mounting unit 111. The chassis mounting unit 111 comprises a mounting plate 112 and a strut beam 113. The mounting plate 112 is a substantially flat steel plate, which has a substantially rectangular or trapezoidal shape. It has an upper half 112A and a lower half 112B. The upper half 112A has an upper edge 112C which in use is positioned against the underside of the associated longitudinal chassis beam 2 and welded thereto. The mounting plate 112 preferably extends in a plane, which is perpendicular to the axis of the axle body 4. In the particular example shown in the figures, the mounting plate 112 is aligned with the web of the longitudinal chassis beam 2.

In the lower half 112B of the mounting plate 112 mounting holes 114 are formed. In this specific embodiment there are two holes 114, ate the same distance from the centre of the plate near the lower edge. The mounting holes 114 are for passing through fastening elements, preferably bolts 53, to attach the side plates 151 of the bearing bracket 105 to the mounting plate 12.

The strut beam 113 extends from the inner side of the mounting plate 112, in particular from the lower half 112B of the mounting plate 112, upwardly and inwardly. The strut beam 113 has a first end 113A, which is welded to the inner side of the mounting plate 112, and a second end 113B which in use is welded to the cross beam 3. The strut beam 113 is in the shown embodiment an elongate flat steel plate. In the assembled state on the chassis the centre line of the strut beam 113 extends inclined upwardly from the mounting plate 112 to the cross beam 3. The first end 113A is welded to the mounting plate 112 in the middle between the two mounting holes 114, thus substantially in the centre of the plate 112.

During manufacturing of the mounting unit 111, the mounting plate 112 is cut from a steel plate. The strut beam 113 is also cut from a steel plate. The strut beam 113 is arranged with a first end 113A thereof against the mounting plate 112 such that it extends in a plane perpendicular to the plane of the mounting plate 112. Next, the first end 113A of the strut beam 113 is welded to the mounting plate 112. The mounting unit 111 is attached to the chassis frame 1 by welding the second end 113B of the strut beam, along the edges to the cross beam 3 and the mounting plate 112 is welded to a longitudinal beam 2 of the chassis frame 1.

After the mounting units 111 have been welded to the chassis frame 1 , the entire assembly can be painted/coated. One advantage of the strut beam 113 being cut from a flat plate is that it slightly flexible such that the second end 113B can be moved to the crossbeam 3 surface, when the mounting plate 112 is already welded to the longitudinal beam 2. This is illustrated in Fig. 5 for the other embodiment, but works the same in the embodiment of Figs. 6-7.

In the example of Figs. 6-7 the bearing bracket 105 comprises two opposite side plates 151 that have a sort of Ύ” shape, having two upward arms 155 having a mounting hole and a downward arm 156 having a mounting hole. In the heart of the Y-shaped side plates 151, a cup-like receiving portion 152 is formed for receiving the hammerhead of the trailing arm 6. The side plates 151 are bolted together by bolts 153 and nuts 154, wherein the upward arms 155 have the mounting plate 112 clamped in between. The cup-like receiving portions 152 and the lower arms 156 are located below the lower edge of the mounting plate 112. The lower arms 156 abut each other around the mounting holes.

In the example shown the front end portion 62 of the trailing arm 6 has a hammerhead configuration, however it is also possible that the front end portion has an eyelet configuration, which is received between the side plates 151, wherein the side plates 151, instead of the cup-like receiving portions 152, are provided with holes for a pivot bolt.

In the above examples shown in the figures the mounting plates 12, 112 and the strut beams 13, 113 are welded to the overhead chassis beams 2 and 3. Although welding may be preferred at this point, embodiments are conceivable within the scope of the invention wherein the mounting plates and/or the strut beams of the chassis mounting unit according to the invention are attached to the overhead chassis beams by a bolted connection.

In Figs. 8-10 is shown an embodiment of an adjustable bearing bracket assembly for pivotally connecting a trailing arm to a chassis. The construction is similar to the bearing bracket assembly shown in Figs. 1-3 and therefore the same parts are indicated by the same reference numerals. The difference is that the mounting holes 14’, 14” in the mounting plate 12 as shown in Figs. 9 and 10 are formed as slotted holes instead of the round holes 14 shown in Fig. 3. Furthermore, an additional mounting hole 15 is formed in the mounting plate 12. The additional mounting hole 15 is a round hole and is located upward from the upper slotted mounting hole 14’. The mounting holes in the side plates 51 of the bearing bracket in this embodiment are round holes 58’ and 58”, which are visible in Fig. 9. The holes 58’and 58” are aligned with the slotted holes 14’ and 14”, respectively. In the arm 55 of the side plates 51 of the bearing bracket 5 an additional round hole 59 is provided to be aligned with the hole 15 in the mounting plate 12. A mounting bolt 57 is inserted through the additional holes 59 in the side plates 51 aligned with the hole 15 in the mounting plate 12. The bolt 57 defines an adjustment pivot axis 150 around which the side plates 51 can be swivelled with respect to the mounting plate 12. The elongate shape of the mounting holes 14’ and 14” allows the swivelling movement while the not fully tightened bolts 53 are passing through the holes 14’ and 14”. The orientation of the side plates 51 can thus be adjusted, whereby the position of the front end portion 62 of the trailing arm 6 can be adjusted substantially in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle with respect to the mounting plate 12 and thus with respect to the chassis 1. In this way, the axle body 4 can be aligned by means of adjusting the position of the trailing arms 6. When the trailing arm 6 is positioned well, the bolts 53 and 57 can be fully tightened to fix the position of the trailing arm 6.

The adjustment pivot axis 150 defined by the bolt 57 passing through the mounting hole 15 is designed to be positioned at a short distance to the mounting hole 56 for the shock damper. The mounting hole 15 is therefore located more to the rear than the mounting holes 14’ and 14”. The short distance between the bolt 57 and the holes 56 has the effect that an adjustment of the position of the trailing arm 6 changes the position of the shock damper only to a minor extent. At least the configuration is designed such that the shock damper can fully function as a stroke limiter for the air spring that is part of the wheel axle suspension.