Hydrolastic is a type of space-efficient automotive suspension system used in many cars An automobile, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor. Most definitions of the term specify that automobiles are designed to run primarily on roads, to have seating for one to eight people, to typically have four wheels, and to be constructed principally for the produced by British Motor Corporation The British Motor Corporation was a UK vehicle company, formed by the merger of the Austin Motor Company and the Nuffield Organisation (parent of the Morris car company, MG, Riley and Wolseley) in 1952. Basically, it was the predecessor of British Leyland (BMC) and its successor companies.

Invented by famous British rubber engineer Alex Moulton, and first used on the 1962 BMC The British Motor Corporation was a UK vehicle company, formed by the merger of the Austin Motor Company and the Nuffield Organisation (parent of the Morris car company, MG, Riley and Wolseley) in 1952. Basically, it was the predecessor of British Leyland project ADO16 under designer Alec Issigonis Sir Alexander Arnold Constantine Issigonis, CBE, FRS was a Greek-British designer of cars, now remembered chiefly for the groundbreaking and influential development of the Mini, launched by the British Motor Corporation (BMC) in 1959 (of Mini The Mini is a small car that was made by the British Motor Corporation and its successors from 1959 until 2000. The original is considered a British icon of the 1960s, and its space-saving front-wheel-drive layout (that allowed 80% of the area of the car's floorpan to be used for passengers and luggage) influenced a generation of car-makers. The fame), later to be launched as the Morris 1100.[1]

Contents

Description

The system replaces the separate springs and dampers of a conventional suspension system with integrated, space efficient, fluid filled, displacer units, which are interconnected between the front and rear wheels on each side of the vehicle. The official recipe for genuine BMC/MG Rover fluid is as follows:

Although the official recipe contains triethanolamine phosphate and sodium mercaptobenzothiazole, many home mechanics refill the system without these two ingredients, and uses only alcohol (methylated spirits) and concentrated glycol antifreeze in a 50/50 ratio.

Each displacer unit contains a rubber spring, and damping is achieved by the displaced fluid passing through rubber valves. The displaced fluid passes to the displacer of the paired wheel, thus providing a dynamic interaction between front and rear wheels. When a front wheel encounters a bump fluid is transferred to the corresponding rear displacer then lowers the rear wheel, hence lifting the rear, minimising pitch associated with the bump.[2] Naturally the reverse occurs when it is a rear wheel that encounters a bump. This effect is particularly good on small cars as small wheelbase vehicles are more affected by pitching than long wheelbase vehicles.

Servicing difficulties

The system was not popular with home mechanics, as it had to be re-pressurized after a chassis A chassis (pronounced /ˈʃæsi, ˈtʃæsi/) consists of an internal framework that supports a man-made object. It is analogous to an animal's skeleton. An example of a chassis is the under part of a motor vehicle, consisting of the frame (on which the body is mounted) with the wheels and machinery or subframe A subframe is a structural component of a vehicle, such as an automobile or an aircraft, that uses a discrete, separate structure within a larger body-on-frame or unit body to carry certain components, such as the engine, drivetrain, or suspension. The subframe is bolted and/or welded to the vehicle. When bolted, it is sometimes equipped with replacement. Even welding the sub-frame to repair rust damage typically required the system to be drained. The only way to re-pressurize was to pay a properly equipped mechanic, usually at a BMC dealer. Inevitably the charge for this service was higher than many cared to pay.

Influences

Jon Pressnell suggests in his book that the hydropneumatic suspension Hydropneumatic is a type of automotive suspension system, invented by Citroën, and fitted to Citroën cars, as well as being adapted by other car manufacturers, notably Rolls-Royce, Mercedes-Benz and Peugeot. It was also used on Berliet trucks. Similar systems are also used on some military vehicles of the Citroën DS The Citroën DS is an executive car produced by the French manufacturer Citroën between 1955 and 1975. Styled by Italian sculptor and industrial designer Flaminio Bertoni, the DS is known for its aerodynamic futuristic body design and innovative technology, including a hydropneumatic self-levelling suspension motivated Issigonis and Moulton, who were at the time of the launch of the DS working on a rubber and fluid suspension system themselves. Pressnell also suggests that the complexity of the Citroën system encouraged Moulton to develop a much simpler system.[3]

In a magazine interview for 'CAR' magazine in the late 1980s, Dr Moulton stated that he and Issigonis had also studied the Citroën 2CV The Citroën 2CV was an economy car produced by the French automaker Citroën from 1948 to 1990. It was technologically advanced and innovative, but with extremely utilitarian and deceptively simple Bauhaus inspired bodywork, that belied the sheer quality of its underlying engineering. It was designed to move the French peasantry on from horses in the 1950s. They particularly wished to address the comical lack of roll stiffness of that car with the system that they were designing.

Hydragas

Hydragas is a type of automotive suspension system used in many cars An automobile, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor. Most definitions of the term specify that automobiles are designed to run primarily on roads, to have seating for one to eight people, to typically have four wheels, and to be constructed principally for the produced by British Leyland British Leyland was a vehicle manufacturing company formed in the United Kingdom in 1968 as British Leyland Motor Corporation Ltd . It was partly nationalised in 1975 with the government creating a new holding company called British Leyland Ltd which became BL Ltd (later BL plc) in 1978. It incorporated much of the British owned motor vehicle and its successor companies.

Invented by British automotive engineer Alex Moulton, Hydragas is an evolution of the previous Hydrolastic system. It was first introduced in 1973 in the Austin Allegro The Austin Allegro is a small family car that was manufactured by British Leyland under the Austin name from 1973 until 1983. The same vehicle was built in Italy by Innocenti in 1974 and 1975 and sold as the Innocenti Regent. In total, 642,350 Austin Allegros were produced during its ten year production life, with the majority being sold on the and was later fitted to the 1975 Princess and its successor, the 1982 Austin Ambassador. Both systems attempt to address the ride-handling compromise of car suspension by interconnecting the suspension of the front and rear of the car in some way. Hydragas attempted to perform the same function and advantages as the hydropneumatic Hydropneumatic is a type of automotive suspension system, invented by Citroën, and fitted to Citroën cars, as well as being adapted by other car manufacturers, notably Rolls-Royce, Mercedes-Benz and Peugeot. It was also used on Berliet trucks. Similar systems are also used on some military vehicles system developed by Citroën Citroën is a major French automobile manufacturer, part of the PSA Peugeot Citroën group, but without its attendant complexity.

The heart of the system are the displacer units, which are pressurised spheres containing nitrogen gas. These replace the conventional steel springs of a regular suspension design. The means for pressurising the gas in the displacers is done by pre-pressurising a hydraulic fluid, and then connecting the displacer to its neighbour on the other axle. This is unlike the Citroën system, which uses hydraulic fluid continuously pressurised by an engine-driven pump and regulated by a central pressure vessel.

Despite early problems (the Allegro version of Hydragas was found seriously wanting), it was gradually developed into an effective and efficient alternative to steel springs on later BL/Rover Group models such as the Austin Metro The Metro is a supermini car that was produced by the Austin Rover Group division of British Leyland and its successors. It was launched in 1980 as the Austin mini Metro. It was intended to complement the Mini, and was developed under the codename LC8 and MGF.

The Austin Maxi was the only in production car to feature both systems.. The Maxi featured 1100 designed Hydrolastic Units with the regulator valve fitted with the interconnection pipe. However in 1978 production of Hydrolastic bottles at Dunlop came to an end and BL modified the Leyland Princess Hydrogas bottles to fit. This involved fitting a new front subframe design,with a larger diameter horizontal chamber in the subframe.

Cars

Cars using the Hydrolastic suspension system:

Cars using the Hydragas suspension system:

External links

Notes

  1. ^ Creativity and Concept Design. Open University Worldwide. 2004. ISBN The International Standard Book Number is a unique numeric commercial book identifier based upon the 9-digit Standard Book Numbering (SBN) code created by Gordon Foster, now Emeritus Professor of Statistics at Trinity College, Dublin, for the booksellers and stationers W.H. Smith and others in 1966 0749259086.
  2. ^ Moulton, Alex. (1962). “Hydrolastic Springing”. Automobile Engineer. September 1962
  3. ^ Jon Pressnell (1999). Citroen DS: The Complete Story. The Crowood Press. ISBN The International Standard Book Number is a unique numeric commercial book identifier based upon the 9-digit Standard Book Numbering (SBN) code created by Gordon Foster, now Emeritus Professor of Statistics at Trinity College, Dublin, for the booksellers and stationers W.H. Smith and others in 1966 1861260555.

Categories: Automotive suspension technologies | Automotive technology tradenames

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