Vehicle chassis having modular rear axle construction

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-8925947-B2
Application number	US-201213405880-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 27, 2012
Priority date	Aug 31, 2009
Publication date	Jan 6, 2015
Grant date	Jan 6, 2015

Abstract

The invention relates to a bodywork of a motor vehicle comprising side members and a rear axle construction which is connected to the bodywork, the rear axle construction having means for attaching the rear axle construction to the bodywork and having a suspension, and the rear axle construction being configured as a torsion-beam axle or as a multi-link axle. The object to provide a generic bodywork of a motor vehicle with a rear axle construction which allows, in a financially favorable manner, a modular rear axle concept, i.e. the selective use of a torsion-beam axle or of a multi-link axle is achieved in that the bodywork has means for receiving the attachment means of a torsion-beam axle and of a multi-link axle and has means for receiving the attachment means and the suspension of a torsion-beam axle and of a multi-link axle.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. Bodywork of a motor vehicle comprising:
side members and a rear axle construction which is connected to the bodywork, the rear axle construction having means for attaching the rear axle construction to the bodywork and having a suspension, and the rear axle construction being configured as one of a torsion-beam axle or as a multi-link axle, wherein the bodywork has means for receiving the means for attaching and the suspension of a torsion-beam axle and of a multi-link axle, wherein the suspension of the torsion-beam axle and of the multi-link axle being arranged such that identical means can be used in the bodywork for receiving the suspension of the torsion-beam axle and of the multi-link axle, and wherein each side member includes a receiving cup including a top wall and a sidewall depending downwardly from the top wall, the top wall including a first and a second mounting surface, wherein the first and second mounting surfaces are non-coplanar and non-parallel, and wherein the first and second mounting surfaces are separated by a step.

2. Bodywork according to claim 1 , wherein the bodywork has means for receiving the means for attaching of the rear axle construction, which means for receiving can be used by the torsion-beam axle and by the multi-link axle.

3. Bodywork according to claim 1 , wherein the bodywork has means for receiving the means for attaching of the torsion-beam axle, which means can be used for receiving means for attaching of shear plates which are provided to stabilise the subframe of a multi-link axle.

4. Bodywork according to claim 1 , wherein side members of the torsion-beam axle are connected to the bodywork by a vertical mounting.

5. Bodywork according to claim 1 , wherein for attaching the multi-link axle, the bodywork has at least one bracket which is attached to the side member of the bodywork.

6. Bodywork according to claim 1 , wherein the suspension of the rear axle construction has one of 1) at least two spring struts with an integrated damper element or 2) has at least two spring elements with separate damper elements.

7. Bodywork according to claim 6 , wherein the separate damper element is in an offset arrangement with respect to the spring elements in the direction of the front of the vehicle.

8. Bodywork according to claim 7 , wherein at least one of the damper elements is arranged upstream of an axial centre of a respective rear wheel and/or the spring element is arranged downstream of the axial centre of the respective rear wheel.

9. Bodywork according to claim 1 , wherein the torsion-beam axle or the multi-link axle has sunken mountings for damper elements.

Assignees

• Schmitz Kai
• Grüneklee Axel
• Schulze-Bergkamen Burkhard
• Brenneis Michael
• Thyssenkrupp Steel Europe Ag

Inventors

• Schmitz Kai
• Grüneklee Axel
• Schulze-Bergkamen Burkhard
• Brenneis Michael

Classifications

• B62D21/11 Primary

  with resilient means for suspension {, e.g. of wheels or engine; sub-frames for mounting engine or suspensions} · CPC title