Vehicle pneumatic suspension element - with opposingly operating elastic elements linked by throttle valves for damping action

The pneumatic suspension has a main suspension element formed by an elastic cylinder filled with gas. A second, smaller cylinder is mounted at the top end of the suspension andis linked to the main element by control flow valves. The main element supports the weight of the car while the second element provides the damping volume during compression/expansion of the suspension. The two elements can be mounted coaxially, or side-by-side, with a linking line in the latter case. The gas pressure in the system can be regulated w.r.t. vehicle loading to alter the suspension characteristics over a wide range of conditions.