The weight of a truck, and therefore the axle load, fluctuates greatly depending on the payload. In order to provide the best possible solution to meet the resulting suspension requirements, virtually all commercial vehicle manufacturers make use of air springs. Air-suspended trucks with level control system provide constant chassis height and road clearance, regardless of the loading weight.
Constant and low natural frequency between tare and full load can only be achieved using air springs. This ensures effective cargo protection, even on poor road surfaces, excellent comfort and health protection for the truck driver and safe driving conditions. In addition, truck air springs enable the vehicle body to be raised and lowered for loading and unloading operations via manually operated chassis height control units.This enables easy truck height adjustment for trailer king pin connection, swap body handling or loading ramps
Continental truck air springs provide substantial performance benefits:
Air suspension on trailers provides protection for both payload and trailer body, including mounted equipment.
Trailer air springs further contribute to reduced road wear thanks to their low natural frequency, reduced unsprung axle mass and reduced wheel load fluctuations. This aspect is of growing importance as traffic volume is increasing.
As a rule, each axle has two air springs. In multi-axle combinations, one axle is frequently provided with an axle-lifting device to reduce tire wear on empty runs or when the vehicle is only partially loaded. Convoluted air springs are normally used for raising and lowering lift axles.
Continental trailer air springs are designed with a specific focus on the following aspects:
