Systems are provided for suspensions that deliver desirable wheel kinematics at prescribed conditions. A system includes a vehicle body structure with an engine cradle, and an associated wheel assembly. A suspension system links the wheel assembly with the engine cradle, and includes a link coupled with the engine cradle and coupled with the wheel assembly. A joint at the link includes a flange that has an opening, an edge, and at least one undercut defined in edge of the flange. The joint allows release of the wheel assembly from the engine cradle by designed tearing between the opening and the at least one undercut. The release is initiated only under loads above a select threshold at the joint, to provide select kinematics of the wheel assembly for specific operational cases.

The bushing includes an outer cylinder, an inner cylinder, and an elastic body therebetween. The outer cylinder has a central recess portion formed in a curved shape. The inner cylinder has a central convex portion being formed in a curved shape. A distance between a vertex of the central recess portion and the vertex of the central convex portion is smaller than a distance between a point other than the vertex of the central recess portion and a point at which a straight line extending from the point other than the vertex of the central recess portion to an intersection point of the perpendicular line and the axis of the inner cylinder intersects the central convex portion.

Systems are provided for suspensions that deliver desirable wheel kinematics at prescribed conditions. A system includes a vehicle body structure with an engine cradle, and an associated wheel assembly. A suspension system links the wheel assembly with the engine cradle, and includes a link coupled with the engine cradle and coupled with the wheel assembly. A joint at the link includes a flange that has an opening, an edge, and at least one undercut defined in edge of the flange. The joint allows release of the wheel assembly from the engine cradle by designed tearing between the opening and the at least one undercut. The release is initiated only under loads above a select threshold at the joint, to provide select kinematics of the wheel assembly for specific operational cases.

An electric vehicle includes an electric-vehicle battery tray including a frame member elongated along a vehicle-longitudinal axis. The electric vehicle includes a rocker rail elongated along the vehicle-longitudinal axis. The electric vehicle includes a subframe. The electric vehicle includes a bracket connecting the battery tray, the rocker rail, and the subframe.

An automobile suspension includes a side rail extending in a front-rear direction of a vehicle body, a lower arm, and a bracket linking the lower arm to the side rail. A front end of the side rail and a rear end of the side rail are linked to a frame of the vehicle body, and the side rail curves such that a middle of the side rail is lower than at least one of the front end and the rear end. The bracket includes a pair of side plates that supports a shaft of the lower arm and is joined to a side face of the side rail, and an upper plate that links the side plates and is joined to an upper face of the side rail.

A front suspension apparatus in which a front side of a suspension arm can be cut off from a subframe at the time of a small overlap collision without a complication of structure and formability. A front suspension apparatus in which a lower arm from which a front wheel is suspended is provided, and a front arm portion and a rear arm portion of the lower arm are axially supported by axially supporting portions of a subframe is characterized in that an axially supporting portion of the front arm portion is joined to the subframe at a joined portion extending in a vehicle width direction, a joined portion extending in an up-down direction, and a joined portion extending in a front-rear direction, and a joining strength of a joined portion in the front-rear direction is lower than a joining strength of the joined portion in the up-down direction.

The control arm assembly includes a control arm body and a socket assembly for connecting the control arm body with a vehicle frame. The socket assembly includes a housing with an inner bore which extends along a vertical axis between opposite open ends. A stud extends past the open ends and has an axially extending through passage. The stud has a pair of end portions on opposite sides of a ball portion that has a curved outer surface which is in sliding contact with a bearing surface for allowing the control arm body to pivot relative to the stud and the vehicle frame. The through passage is eccentrically located in a radial direction on the stud for translating the control arm body relative to the vehicle frame in response to rotation of the stud relative to the housing to adjust a camber angle of the wheel assembly.

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 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.