Hydrolastic

Hydrolastic is the brand name of a type of suspension system for motor vehicles from the British manufacturer British Motor Corporation (BMC) and its successors. Engineer Alex Moulton developed the concept, which came out in Alec Issigonis ' BMC ADO 16 in 1962 and was later adopted for other models.

description

Instead of steel springs and oil hydraulic shock absorbers , liquid-filled displacement units are used. Each contains a rubber spring and the liquid - a mixture of water and alcohol - has to pass through rubber valves to dampen it. The front and rear wheel springs on each side are connected by a pipe so that compression of the front wheel causes the car to be lifted on the rear axle. This counteracts the nod , especially in smaller cars with a short wheelbase.

Influences

Jon Pressnell suggests in his book that Issigonis and Moulton were inspired by the hydropneumatics of the Citroën DS when they were working on rubber-liquid suspensions at the time it entered the market. Moulton wanted to build a simpler system. Moulton stated in an interview in the 1980s that he and Issigonis had examined the Citroën 2CV, in which the front and rear suspension are connected, in order to avoid its strong roll tendency for their project.

Hydragas

Alex Moulton developed the Hydrolastic for hydragas suspension at British Leyland . It was introduced in 1973 in the Austin Allegro and then used in the Princess (1975) and the Austin Ambassador (1982). Gas springs (hollow spheres filled with nitrogen) were used instead of rubber springs. The system was simpler than Citroën's hydropneumatic because it had no level control. It was pressurized during assembly and maintenance and did not need a pump in the vehicle.

Vehicles with hydrolastic suspension

• BMC ADO16 (as Austin 1100, Morris 1100, MG 1100, Riley Kestrel, Wolseley 1100, Morris 1500, Austin America etc.)
• Mini (from 1964 to 1971) also called Riley Elf , Wolseley Hornet
• Austin 1800 (Wolseley Six)
• Austin Maxi (until March 1978)
• Austin 3-liter
• Huffaker Indianapolis cars 1964–1969 "MG Liquid Suspension Special"

Vehicles with hydragas suspension

• Austin Ambassador
• Princess
• Austin Allegro
• Austin Maxi (from March 1978)
• Austin Metro
• Rover Metro
• Rover 100
• MGF

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Creativity and Concept Design . Open University Worldwide, 2004, ISBN 0749259086 .
2. ^ Moulton, Alex (1962): "Hydrolastic Springing" . Automobile Engineer. September 1962
3. ↑ Jon Pressnell: Citroën DS: The Complete Story . The Crowood Press, 1999, ISBN 1861260555 .