Riding on Air A History of Air Suspension

This book covers the history of air suspension, from the earliest patents in the mid-19th century to present developments. First fitted to buses, air suspension expanded into passenger rail vehicles, only to be followed by a failure on passenger cars. After several uncertain years, air suspension won almost universal acceptance on trucks and trailers, and then in mass transportation, eventually making a successful return to passenger cars. These developments are described in relation to technical considerations and marketing objectives. The thermodynamic theory required to design a pneumatic spring to achieve a given ride objective is outlined.