| abstract |
Vehicle suspension apparatus including a plurality of springs in series for supporting the sprung mass of a vehicle on the unsprung mass thereof, and means for increasing the spring rate of the series of springs in response to increases in static load on the series of springs. Hydropneumatic means cooperates with one spring of the series to resiliently resist movement of a pair of relatively movable members toward each other, and responds to static deflection of the associated spring caused by such movement to restore the members to a minimum spacing and the spring to a corresponding minimum static length, and thereafter provides increased resistance to subsequent deflection of the spring from the minimum length until the static load on the series of springs is reduced. |