The twist axle assembly includes a pair of trailing arms that are spaced apart from one another in a first direction. The twist axle assembly also includes a twist beam, which has an open shaped cross-sectional shape, that extends in the first direction between a pair of opposing end portions. The open cross-sectional shape of the twist beam includes a base and a pair of side walls. The end portions of the twist beam are fixedly attached with the trailing arms. A pair of beam reinforcements are fixedly attached with the trailing arms and with the base of the twist beam. The beam reinforcements are fixedly attached with the twist beam through at least one of fasteners, adhesives, resistance spot welding, cold metal transfer welding, laser welding, and brazing.

A vehicle suspension component, such as a lower control arm, that includes first and second stamped metal shells, a stiffening feature, and several connection nodes for operably connecting the suspension component to the rest of the vehicle suspension system. The first and second stamped metal shells may be stamped from next generation steel that is lightweight and strong, and are joined together in a clam shell or box-style type design so that the connections nodes are sandwiched therebetween. The stiffening feature may include a depression, a depression perimeter that at least partially surrounds the depression, a depression sidewall, a depression floor, and a depression weld, wherein the depression weld joins the shell interior surfaces of the first and second stamped metal shells together.

A method for producing a mounting arrangement for a link of a motor vehicle suspension that is or can be pivotably mounted on a subframe of the motor vehicle, having the following steps: providing the subframe, which has a first and a second mounting flange for mounting the link; providing at least one intermediate product of a bracket; integrally joining the intermediate product to a mounting flange of the subframe by welding; forming an elongated hole in the intermediate product by punching of the same; and forming at least one stop on the intermediate product for an adjusting eccentric for chassis adjustment by stamping the intermediate product.

A utility cart includes a suspension having an integral perch bracket having a plurality of legs structured to straddle an axle of the utility cart, and can include an opening into which a spring pin (e.g. a pin of a leaf spring) can be inserted. The perch bracket can alternatively include a brake cable attachment feature located on an end of the bracket. In one form the end can extend from one leg and be folded toward an opposing leg. The perch bracket can be cut from sheet stock of material, and stamped into final or near final form. In one embodiment a threaded nut can be attached to the legs of the perch bracket.

A fragile portion is provided at a portion of a suspension arm which is positioned near a vehicle-body attachment portion. The fragile portion is configured such that when a load which is greater than a specified magnitude is inputted to a front wheel from a vehicle forward side, the suspension arm is bent at the fragile portion, whereby the front wheel is rotated rearwardly around the fragile portion.

A method for manufacturing a vehicle knuckle is provided. The method includes preparing a die for forming the vehicle knuckle, locating at least one busing in the die, filling the die with carbon chip materials, hot press forming the carbon chip materials filled in the die at high temperature and high pressure environment, separating the formed vehicle knuckle from the die, and trimming and removing surplus materials attached to the separated vehicle knuckle.

In order to reduce both the weight and the production costs in the case of vehicle chassis components consisting of at least two parts, a first part is made as a sheet component by press hardening and the second part is produced by a conventional production method, which does not include press hardening. The part produced by press hardening forms a structural component, whereas the other component serves to stiffen the part produced by press hardening.

An application of the laser welding process in the joining of shaped and machined components for the production of a front suspension lower swing arm of automotive vehicles. This arm is composed of two shaped parts (4, 5), a tube with a larger circular section (9) for implantation of a cylindrical rubber bushing (2) coupled to a flanged region (6), a cylindrical pin (8) fixed to a cylindrical tube with a smaller circular section (7) to ensure connection of the pin with the shaped parts (4, 5), a bushing with fixing flanges (1), and one socket joint (3). Alternatively, a rubber bushing fixed in the vertical form (15), fixed by pressure in the housing in the already laser welded plates (4, 5) may be used instead of the cylindrical pin (8) fixed in a tube with smaller circular section (7) and a bushing with fixing flanges (1).

A torsion beam of a vehicle torsion beam suspension has a closed cross section. A beam center portion has an inverse substantially v-shaped cross section or a substantially v-shaped cross section. Circumference increasing portions having a longer circumferential length toward the beam ends are disposed at opposite sides of the beam center portion. Each circumference increasing portion has a beam width that is a width in the fore and aft direction of a vehicle body, the beam width gradually increasing toward a beam end, and increasing at a higher rate as a position of the beam width is closer to the beam end.

This torsion beam manufacturing method is for manufacturing a torsion beam including a central portion of which a cross-section orthogonal to a longitudinal direction is a closed cross-section having a substantial V-shape or a substantial U-shape at any position in the longitudinal direction, and a shape changing portion which has a connection region leading to the central portion and including a closed cross-section having a shape different from the shape of the closed cross-section of the central portion.

This torsion beam manufacturing method has a compression step of thickening at least the connection region through application of a compression force in the longitudinal direction to at least the connection region of a torsion beam material to obtain the torsion beam, the torsion beam material being formed with the central portion and the shape changing portion.