Rubber torsion spring with variable characteristic - in which outer tube is elastically mounted to move between stops

摘要

The rubber torsion suspension has a rod attached to the swing arm supporting the wheel, with the rod located inside an outer housing by a rubber torsion spring. The other end of the tube is attached to the chassis by a similar rod and rubber torsion spring. The outer tube can then move relative to the rods and chassis to provide an extra degree of freedom for the suspension. This provides an initial soft spring characteristic for smooth damping, followed by a harder characteristic when the second rubber insert is twisted. The movement of the outer tube is limited by stops so that the overall characteristic of the system can be preset by the position of the stops.