COMPRESSIBLE FLUID STRUT FOR WHEELED VEHICLES

COMPRESSIBLE FLUID SUSPENSIONS ARE WIDELY USED WITHIN THE MILITARY TO PROTECT WEAPONS AND ELECTRONIC SYSTEMS FROM WEAPONS EFFECT SHOCK AND VIBRATION. THE ADAPTATION OF THIS TECHNOLOGY TO WHEELED AND TRACKED MILITARY VEHICLES WILL PROVIDE SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT IN BOTH HANDLING AND RIDE. A SECOND BENEFIT OF THIS TYPE OF SUSPENSION IS THAT IT CAN EASILY ACCEPT EXTERNAL SENSOR INPUT, TO ALLOW ADAPTIVE RESPONSE CAPABILITY. THIS MEANS THAT SUSPENSION CHARACTERISTICS CAN BE READILY ALTERED TO ACCOMMODATE CHANGES IN VEHICLE GROSS WEIGHT, ROAD CONDITIONS, AND MISSION PROFILES. A THIRD BENEFIT IS THE RELATIVE SIMPLICITY OF THE COMPRESSIBLE FLUID SUSPENSION, AS COMPARED TO BOTH PNEUMATIC AND MECHANICAL DESIGNS HAVING ADAPTIVE CAPABILITY. A SIMPLE COMPRESSIBLE FLUID STRUT PROVIDES MAXIMUM CAPABILITY WITH A MINIMUM NUMBER OF PARTS. THIS PROPOSAL ADDRESSES THE DESIGN OF A COMPRESSIBLE FLUID SUSPENSION HAVING ADAPTIVE SPRING AND DAMPING CHARACTERISTICS. THE CANDIDATE VEHICLE IS THE USMC LAV-25, WITHIN WHICH AN ADEQUATE ENVELOPE EXISTS TO APPLY THE PROPOSED TECHNOLOGY.