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.

A composite part for an air spring component of a motor vehicle includes a first element made of a first material and a second element made of a second material. The second element at least partially surrounds the first element. In the air spring component, the composite part can be bonded to at least one second component in an adhesive-bonded manner.

An air suspension assembly includes a top and a piston. A bellows connects the top and the piston defining a first chamber. The piston includes an upper portion defining a bore in communication with the first chamber. A body extends outwardly from the upper portion to a proximal end defining a second chamber. A decoupler is disposed in the bore in communication with the first chamber and the second chamber. The decoupler includes a partition member extending across the decoupler isolating the first chamber from the second chamber for changing pressure in response to a pressure applied to the air suspension assembly. The decoupler includes a cap portion disposed in the bore, defining a hole, and an extension portion extending outwardly from the cap portion to a distal end defining a third chamber in communication with the hole, the first chamber, and the second chamber to receive the partition member.

An air spring may include a first member, a second member, a flexible bellows, and/or an isolator/bumper. The first member may include a first member axial extension that may extend in an axial direction. The second member may include a second member axial extension that may extend in the axial direction. The flexible bellows may be connected to the first member and the second member. The flexible bellows may define a pressurized fluid volume. The isolator/bumper may include an inner radial portion and an outer radial portion. The inner radial portion may be disposed radially inward of the first member axial extension or the second member axial extension. The outer radial portion may be disposed radially outward of the first member axial extension or the second member axial extension.

End member assemblies having a longitudinal axis are dimensioned for securement to a flexible spring member. The end member assemblies include a first end member with a first surface portion and a plurality of projections disposed in peripherally-spaced relation to one another about the longitudinal axis. A second end member includes a plurality of grooves dimensioned to receive one of projections. Gas spring and damper assemblies include a damper assembly and a gas spring assembly that includes an end member assembly as well as an end member assembly with a flexible spring member secured between the end member assemblies. A suspension system including one or more gas spring and damper assemblies is also included.

An air-spring assembly includes a flexible bellows extending from a top end to a bottom end and enclosing an air-spring chamber between the top end and the bottom end, a first panel partially defining the air-spring chamber and movable in response to a pressure of the air-spring chamber, an enclosure partially defining a working chamber fluidly isolated from the air-spring chamber, a second panel partially defining the working chamber and movable relative to the enclosure, and a linkage member fixed relative to the first panel and to the second panel and defining a fixed distance between the first panel and the second panel. The top and bottom ends are fixable to a frame and a wheel of a vehicle, respectively. A volume of the air-spring chamber varies with movement of the bottom end relative to the top end. Movement of the second panel changes a volume of the working chamber.

An air spring for an axle/suspension system of a heavy-duty vehicle including a bellows, a mounting bracket, and a retention collar. The mounting bracket is integrated into the heavy-duty vehicle axle/suspension system. The bellows has a bellows chamber and is operatively connected to the mounting bracket by the retention collar.

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 adapter piece may be employed to connect a damper tube and an air spring piston in a non-positive manner. The adapter piece may comprise a spring region. The adapter piece may also include a first ring region and a second ring region, and the spring region may be positioned between the first ring region and the second ring region. Further, an air spring damper system may utilize the spring region of such an adapter piece to connect a damper tube and an air spring piston in a non-positive connection. The damper tube may include a bulge with a supporting element positioned on the bulge. The adapter piece may lie on the supporting element.

An axle/suspension system for a heavy-duty vehicle includes a suspension assembly, an axle, and a damping means. The suspension assembly is operatively connected to the heavy-duty vehicle. The axle is operatively connected to the suspension assembly. The damping means is operatively connected to and extends between the suspension assembly and the heavy-duty vehicle. The axle/suspension system has a motion ratio of between about 1.4 to about 1.7. A method for optimizing damping of an axle/suspension system of a heavy-duty vehicle includes the steps of: calculating a curve representing a damping energy relating to load on a damping air spring; calculating a curve representing a damping energy relating to air flow velocity through at least one opening of the air spring; calculating an optimized motion ratio by determining an intersection of the curves; altering the geometry of the axle/suspension system to provide the axle/suspension system with the optimized motion ratio.