Light Vehicle Products | Air Springs
Air Springs with Cross-Ply Bellows
Comfort optimized with superior robustness
Comfort optimized with superior robustness
The cross-ply bellows uses two layers of reinforcement fibers. These are placed in the bellows wall at an angle to each other and define the pressure resilience. The layers are coated from both sides with a sealing or protective elastomer layer. Another elastomer layer, the intermediate layer, is applied between the two layers of threads. The intermediate layer defines the geometrical cohesion of the two layers of threads, and thus influences service life and comfort. A steel reinforced crimp area ensures the bellows has a secure and air-tight fit. Cross-ply bellows can be combined with plastic top pots and pistons for a lightweight design.
About Air Springs
Air springs keep the vehicle at a constant level, regardless of how heavy its load is. They allow to lower the car at high speeds in order to improve aerodynamics and thus increase range. Air springs can also optimize airflow under the car for passive battery cooling in electric vehicles and they protect the batteries in bad road conditions and secure always a minimum ground clearance. Furthermore, switchable air springs can provide different degrees of stiffness, allowing quick transition between a firm suspension for confident and safe driving behavior, and a more comfortable setup for long road trips.
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Vibracoustic supplies air springs for the majority of all light vehicles based on air suspension systems, making us one of the leading global air spring manufacturers.
Our products and technologies can be delivered separately or as a unit with the damper. The Vibracoustic portfolio ranges from front and rear axle air springs, to switchable multi-chamber air springs Our comprehensive air springs know how makes us a reliable and trusted component and module supplier for air spring applications of all sorts.
The key element in air springs for light vehicles are the rubber bellows. These essentially determine the comfort and service life properties. Vibracoustic offers three different types of bellows – axial, cross-ply and ZAX – which differ in terms of the structure of their embedded reinforcing fibers.
In an axial sleeve, the fibers embedded in the elastomer run axially to the deflection direction. The cross-ply bellows has two layers of reinforcing elements, placed at an angle to each other. Unlike in a fabric, these elements are not connected. The cross-axial bellows, or ZAX bellows, combines the great torsion decoupling capability of an axial sleeve with the dimensional stability of a cross-ply bellows.
