China air spring and airbag suspension for sale from SinoTrailers.
What is airbag suspension
Airbag suspension is a type of shock absorber, using a powerful pneumatic pump to every chamber. Normally used in buses and trucks.
It is using air spring as the elastic component, compressed air as the elastic media, realize damping via compressibility of the air.
Differences between air spring and hydraulic suspension
- Air spring suspension has a shorter lifting stroke compare to hydraulic suspension
- Cozier than that of the hydraulic pendulum axle, suitable for bus and limousine cars
- Can replace the rear axle of SUV, reinforced with supporting arm
- The cost is higher than that of the mechanical suspension
- The airbag suspension’s self-weight is lighter than the mechanical axle. If a bulk tank trailer equipped with air spring suspension, the total weight could reduce up to 1 ton. This means you can load more cargos and minimize fuel consumption
Two types of airbag
There are two types of air bellow in the China market so far, Euro-type and US-type. The main difference is the structure design of the pendulum arm of the pneumatic suspension. pressing and welding steel plate.
- Euro-type: casting arm, 4 bellows in the rear axle ensures better carrying capacity and shock absorption, most trucks, and trailers in China are using this type of air bellow.
- US-type: pressing and welding steel plate arm, 2 bellows in the axle. More like a non-independent suspension, but cost-effective.
Advantages of air spring
Most trucks and trailers equipped with mechanical suspension, which is rigid for the cargo and the passenger. The airbag is a kind of soft link between the axle the chassis.
- Good shock absorption performance to protect the cargo and the driver
- Better fuel and transport efficiency. When running on a bumpy road, if your trailer or truck is with rigid suspension, you need to slow down to pass the bumps. But it the trailer and truck are with airbag suspension, you can run through it directly without cutting down the speed or just slow down a little bit. So the air spring suspension can improve fuel efficiency and transport efficiency
- Protect chassis parts
- Convenient drop and pull transport. ECAS system can adjust the height of the air bellow to realize efficient connecting and disconnecting between the trailer and the prime mover tractor
- Compatible with different heights of the cargo platforms, easy to load and unload
- Reduce tire consumption and protect the road. Due to the soft link between the tire and the road, the tire always touches the ground, prevents the impacts between them
- The elastic coefficient of air spring is adjustable. If the road condition is good, harden the air spring to stable the trailer. If the road condition is bad, soften the air spring to adapt the bumpy road
- Remote-controlled ECAS system realizes the trailer’s cargo platform moving up and down
- Rear-axle can be lifted up during empty load and light load transport, to reduce wearing of tires
- Increase the ability to load more volume of cargo
Application of airbag suspension
For trailers we supply, air spring suspensions usually equipped in windmill blade transport trailers. Those air bellows can protect the wind blades from shockwaves generated during transport.
Suspension equipped with air bellow to realize superior shock absorption, and reduce self-weight, the force of friction as well as tire consumption. Same as hydraulic suspension, the air suspension trailer’s height is adjustable, can move up and down. Damper(elastic coefficient) can be changed to adapt to different road conditions.
Bellow type pneumatic suspension
Pneumatic bellow suspension has many advantages than mechanical spring suspension. Airbag enables the trailer to transport precision machine, also make trailer light, high maneuverability. It will be widely developed and used in the future for air suspension trailers in domestic China.
Although airbag suspension has many advantages, mechanical spring suspension has stable and high carrying capacity, relatively low cost, so mechanical now is still the mainstream in the conventional logistic industry. But the future trend belongs to the air spring suspension.