1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a pneumatic spring with a vibration damper.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
German reference DE 197 55 549 A1 describes a pneumatic spring having a vibration damper. Frequently, a pneumatic spring and a vibration damper are installed separately in a vehicle as individual subassemblies. There is an important reason for this method of construction. The structural space within the chassis is so confined that a pneumatic spring of sufficiently large dimensions cannot always be installed concentrically with the vibration damper.
In order to eliminate axial structural space problems in the case of vibration dampers, some solutions are known in which the connecting members of the vibration damper have been specially designed. For example, German reference DE 196 25 106 A1 describes a vibration damper in which at least two laterally mounted bearings have been produced. The gain in axial structural space corresponds to the structural height of a bearing.
A further problem resides in the fact that, during operation of vibration dampers, waste heat is produced due to the operating principle, caused by the throttling of a damping medium within the vibration damper. This waste heat is adequately removed by the slipstream. The container pipe of the vibration damper represents a heat exchanger with the ambient air. In the event of deficient heat removal, the sealing of the vibration damper may be damaged, which would result in a functional failure of the whole vibration damper.