A strut-type damper is disclosed. The damper has a shock absorber having a housing with a telescoping piston rod, a coil spring, an upper spring seat operably coupled to a distal end of the piston rod, and a lower spring seat operatively coupled to the housing. The upper and lower spring seats capture the coil spring therebetween. The lower spring seat has a base portion having an opening for receiving the housing and is fixedly securable to the housing. A generally circumferential wall portion extends from the base portion and forms a catcher for catching a broken portion of the coil spring if the coil spring fractures. An impact absorbing structure is formed on the lower spring seat adjacent both of the catcher and the base portion, and is configured to be crushed in the event of a fracture of the coil spring.

A suspension arm includes an arm body having a longitudinal shape, a wheel-side attachment portion disposed at one end of the arm body, and a vehicle body-side attachment portion disposed at the other end of the arm body, and is mounted near a drive shaft to extend in a lateral direction of a vehicle, the arm body including an overlap portion that overlaps the drive shaft as viewed from a front in a longitudinal direction of a vehicle, a weak portion having lower strength than the overlap portion being provided between the overlap portion and the wheel-side attachment portion, the arm body having a hollow longitudinal shape, and portions on both sides of the weak portion being quenched by high frequency heating so as to have high strength, such that the weak portion is partially provided at an intermediate position between the overlap portion and the wheel-side attachment portion.

A transverse link has an inboard side and an outboard side. A steering knuckle has an upper end, a wheel supporting section and a lower end. The lower end is pivotally coupled to the outboard side of the transverse link. A strut has an upper end and a lower end. An upper knuckle breakaway structure attaches the upper end of the steering knuckle to the lower end of the strut. The upper knuckle breakaway structure has a frangible part that releases the upper end of the steering knuckle from the lower end of the strut upon application of a prescribed rearward directed force. A transverse link breakaway structure couples the inboard side of the transverse link to a lower suspension support structure such that upon application of the prescribed rearward directed force the inboard side of the transverse link is released from the lower suspension support structure.

A holding element for a spring, having a spring fastening area (10) for fastening the leaf spring (2) to the holding element (5) and a wheel carrier fastening area (9) for fastening a wheel carrier (4) to the leaf spring (2). The holding element (5) has a deformation zone (23) through which webs and openings extend for transmission of forces from the spring fastening area (10) to the wheel carrier fastening area (9), such that the webs (S2.1, S2:2, S3.1, S3.2) and the openings (A1, A2, A3) are formed mirror-symmetrically relative to the longitudinal axis (L) of the holding element.

An axle link for a motor vehicle includes a body-side connecting element and a wheel-side connecting element. The connecting elements are connected to one another by a rod element, comprised of a metal rod and a reinforcement casing. The metal rod is made of a ductile material and is anchored in the reinforcement casing at the connecting elements. The reinforcement casing is made of a brittle material and has a predetermined breaking point at a longitudinal position between the connecting elements.

Systems and methods for controlling wheel motion during a collision are provided. A retaining member may be connectable between a vehicle frame and a wheel assembly to control motion of the wheel assembly during a collision of a vehicle with an object. The retaining member may include one or more of a first attachment point connecting the retaining member to the vehicle frame, a second attachment point connecting the retaining member to the wheel assembly, a retaining member routing, and/or one or more break-away connections attaching the retaining member to the vehicle frame and/or to the wheel assembly. The first and second attachment points, retaining member routing, and/or break-away connections may be selected to control motion of the wheel assembly within a preferred path to control loading between the object and the vehicle.

A system for managing wheel kinematics during a collision event includes a break-away region for releasing a joint of a lower control arm. The system includes a recess arranged in a frame member, and a pin arranged vertically in the recess and configured to couple the lower control arm to the frame member. The break away region includes a reduced stiffness and is configured to fail under the collision event to allow the pin to move laterally out of the recess. The recess may be formed by a top plate and a bottom plate or a C-shaped bracket, which include through features to accommodate the pin. The break-away region includes a first notch and a second notch that reduce a stiffness of the structures that form the recess, thus allowing the pin to be released under a predetermined loading. The break-away region may fracture to release the pin.

A subframe structure of a front suspension that leads a subframe and a vehicle driving apparatus to the lower side after separation of a rear portion of the subframe due to a frontal collision without increasing weight and parts. A subframe structure of the front suspension provides a subframe that supports a vehicle driving apparatus in a mounting manner, and a rear portion of the subframe is mounted on a lower portion of a vehicle body via a fastening member. Fastening between the subframe and the fastening member is configured such that the rear portion of the subframe is separated when a collision load to a vehicle rear side is applied to the subframe. A leading guide portion that abuts against the fastening member and leads the subframe to a lower side after separation from the fastening member is integrally formed on the rear portion of the subframe.

A structural arrangement for a vehicle includes a vehicle frame including a first frame member and a second frame member coupled to the first frame member. The vehicle frame extends along a vehicle body axis. The vehicle frame includes a suspension component including a control arm, a bushing, a bolt coupling the suspension component to the second frame member, and a load member coupled to the first frame member at a first attachment point and coupled to the second frame member at a second attachment point. The load member extends generally longitudinally along the vehicle body axis. The suspension component is coupled to the second frame member at the second attachment point and is detachable from the second frame member upon application of a load to the vehicle due to an impact event.

A vehicle includes a control arm having a first branch portion extended from a second branch portion, the first branch portion and the second branch portion being fixed with a frame of the vehicle, and a third branch portion extended from the second branch portion, and coupled with a wheel. The vehicle also includes a first joint fixing the first branch portion to the frame, and a second joint located behind the first joint along the frame in a vehicle longitudinal direction, and fixing the second branch portion to the frame with a first bracket extending along the frame, outward from the second branch portion in a vehicle lateral direction. The first bracket is fixed to the frame at a first bracket weakened portion, and configured such that the second branch portion separates the first bracket weakened portion from the frame while the first joint remains fixed to the frame.