An air spring includes a composite bumper, a composite piston, a flexible bellow and an upper end cap member. The composite piston has a first end which includes a plurality of rigid portions and a plurality of adjacently positioned cantilever snap joints for receiving and securing the composite bumper. The composite bumper includes an inner wall having a surface shape for securely engaging the plurality of rigid portions and the plurality of cantilever snap joints. The first end of the composite piston further includes a piston housing surface upon which an outer surface of the composite bumper nests against. The flexible bellow is sealingly attached to the composite piston and the upper end cap member. The flexible bellow, the upper end cap member, and the composite piston together form a fluid tight chamber, and the composite bumper is contained within the fluid tight chamber.

An air spring assembly having pressure relief capability, where the air spring assembly includes a single air volume, or a multi-chamber air volume. When the air spring assembly is operating at a stiffer spring rate in combination with a setting to increase ground clearance, during certain road events, the air spring assembly is compressed, and the pressure in the air spring assembly increases. In order to not exceed the safe mechanical limits of the air spring assembly, the pressure is limited to a maximum value when full compression is achieved. The air spring assembly includes at least one valve, which is opened based on a cracking pressure, which is determined based on the mechanical limits of the air spring assembly. This facilitates the operation of the air spring assembly at settings to increase ground clearance of the vehicle, while allowing for pressure relief when the mechanical limit is reached.

An air spring includes an outer cylindrical member, an inner cylindrical member combined with the outer cylindrical member, a diaphragm coupling the outer cylindrical member and the inner cylindrical member to each other, the diaphragm providing an internal space between the outer cylindrical member and the inner cylindrical member, a first element located on a side of the internal space in at least one of the outer cylindrical member and the inner cylindrical member and defining a part of the internal space, a second element adjacent to the first element, the second element defining a part of the internal space, and a cover layer covering a boundary portion between the first element and the second element.

An antioxidant precursor compound represented by the formula ##STR00001##
where R.sup.2 through R.sup.6 are each independently a hydrogen atom or a monovalent organic group, R.sup.7 and R.sup.8 are each independently a monovalent organic group, R.sup.9 is a hydrogen atom or a blocking group, and R.sup.10 is a covalent bond or a divalent organic group, with the proviso that at least one of R.sup.2 and R.sup.6 are sterically bulky groups.

An air spring includes an outer cylindrical member, an inner cylindrical member, a diaphragm, the diaphragm providing an internal space between the outer cylindrical member and the inner cylindrical member, a stopper assembly arranged in the internal space as being pivotable over the inner cylindrical member, a handle for pivoting the stopper assembly over the inner cylindrical member, a guide member attached to the handle as rising from the handle, a positioning member attached by insertion in a guide hole in the guide member for positioning of the handle, a positioning hole provided in the inner cylindrical member which can receive the positioning member, and a holding mechanism in the inner cylindrical member. A position of the stopper assembly with respect to the inner cylindrical member is determined by inserting the positioning member in the positioning hole.

A damping air spring for a heavy-duty vehicle axle/suspension system includes a bellows and a piston. The bellows has a bellows chamber. The piston is operatively connected to the bellows and includes at least two portions forming a continuous piston chamber. One of the portions of the piston is at least partially disposed within the bellows chamber and has a variable volume.

An air spring includes a composite bumper, a composite piston, a flexible bellow and an upper end cap member. The composite piston has a first end which includes a plurality of rigid portions and a plurality of adjacently positioned cantilever snap joints for receiving and securing the composite bumper. The composite bumper includes an inner wall having a surface shape for securely engaging the plurality of rigid portions and the plurality of cantilever snap joints. The first end of the composite piston further includes a piston housing surface upon which an outer surface of the composite bumper nests against. The flexible bellow is sealingly attached to the composite piston and the upper end cap member. The flexible bellow, the upper end cap member, and the composite piston together form a fluid tight chamber, and the composite bumper is contained within the fluid tight chamber.

An air spring according to the present disclosure includes: an inner cylindrical member; an outer cylindrical member provided on the inner cylindrical member; a diaphragm coupled with the outer cylindrical member and the inner cylindrical member; and a stopper provided rotatably with respect to a circumferential direction of the inner cylindrical member. The stopper has a raised portion raised towards the outer cylindrical member and moving on the inner cylindrical member in the circumferential direction. The outer cylindrical member has a plurality of raised portions raised toward the inner cylindrical member. The plurality of raised portions of the outer cylindrical member are different in height. At least one of the outer cylindrical member's raised portion and the stopper's raised portion is restorable against circumferential deformation.

An air spring with damping characteristics for a suspension assembly of a heavy-duty vehicle includes a bellows chamber, a piston chamber, an intermediate chamber, and a first and second means for providing restricted fluid communication. The intermediate chamber is disposed at least partially within the bellows chamber and operatively connected to the bellows chamber and the piston chamber. The first means for providing restricted fluid communication is located between the bellows chamber and the intermediate chamber. The second means for providing restricted fluid communication is located between the piston chamber and the intermediate chamber. The first and second means for providing restricted fluid communication provide damping characteristics to the air spring during operation of the heavy-duty vehicle.

An air spring includes an outer cylindrical member, an inner cylindrical member combined with the outer cylindrical member, a diaphragm coupling the outer cylindrical member and the inner cylindrical member to each other, the diaphragm providing an internal space between the outer cylindrical member and the inner cylindrical member, a stopper assembly arranged in the internal space as being pivotable over the inner cylindrical member, the stopper assembly allowing suppression of movement of the outer cylindrical member toward the inner cylindrical member more than necessary, a pivoting mechanism pivoting the stopper assembly over the inner cylindrical member, and a space portion provided between the stopper assembly and the inner cylindrical member, the space portion allowing lowering in resistance in pivot of the stopper assembly.