Firestone air springs

Firestone developed the air spring in the late 1930's as a more efficient air spring (vibration isolator) for use in vehicle suspensions. Airide springs, as they were named, provided the means for a suspension to reduce the amount of road shock and vibration transmitted into the vehicle. Millions of miles of actual use have proven the dependability and effectiveness of the air suspension concept using Airide springs by Firestone.

Airstroke actuators, Airmount isolators, and Airide springs are Firestone registered trademark names for one product: the air spring.

The use of the air spring (actuator, industrial isolator and vehicular isolator, respectively) determines which name is applied to it. All of the parts on this site may be used as Airstroke actuators (except the 1X84D-1 and 2M1A) or Airmount isolators, with two exceptions: Triple convoluted and reversible sleeve type air springs (except the 1M1A-0) should not be used as Airmount isolators without consulting Firestone. Individual Airstroke actuators and Airmount isolators are capable of generating a force or supporting a load of up to 100,000 pounds, and a stroke capability of up to 14 inches is possible.

Firestone Airstroke Actuators are cylinders.

They are different looking, and they do not work exactly like the well-known and accepted JIC cylinder. Functionally, however, air springs perform the same type of actuation tasks. Firestone Airstroke actuators have long been used in the industrial market as pneumatic actuators incorporated into new and innovative machinery designs as well as replacement actuators for existing applications that had previously used traditional pneumatic or hydraulic cylinders. These replacement markets are created by the advantages of a flexible walled pneumatic actuator that is durable, operates well in corrosive and abrasive industrial environments, easily accepts misalignment, and has a high ratio of stroke to collapsed height. Each of these features give Firestone Airstroke actuators the advantage over traditional cylinders.

Why use an Airstroke actuator (rather than air or hydraulic cylinder) for actuation?

LOW COST - Generally, initial cost is one-half or less than conventional pneumatic or hydraulic cylin­ders of the same force capabilities. This initial cost advantage is many times greater in the larger sizes.

WIDE SIZE RANGE - Airstroke actuators are available in sizes ranging from 2.2 inches to 37 inches in diameter. The force capability is 100,000 pounds. Strokes of up to 14 inches are possible.

DURABLE FOR LONG LIFE - Airstroke actuators are a further application of Firestone's time proven Airide springs for truck and bus suspensions. The long life and durability necessary for millions of miles of heavy duty suspension use under adverse environmental conditions are also important factors in machine design.

NO MAINTENANCE OR LUBRICATION REQUIRED NO INTERNAL ROD OR PISTON - Airstroke actuators have no internal rod, piston, or sliding seals as do conventional cylinders. This allows for the design of Airstroke actuators into applications where dirt or grit would destroy the seals on conventional cylinders.

FRICTION FREE FOR - IMMEDIATE RESPONSE - Since Airstroke actuators have no sliding seals, there is no breakaway friction as with conventional cylinders

FLEXIBLE MEDIA - An Airstroke actuator can do its work with either a liquid or gas (Please see page 14 for acceptable media choices.)

ANGULAR CAPABILITY - An Airstroke possesses the unique capability of stroking through an arc without a clevis. Angular motion of up to 30 degrees is possible, along with the design advantage of generally less complex linkages.

SIDE LOADING CAPABILITY - Airstroke actuators, within certain limits, are not affected by side loads as are conventional cylin­ders. This misalignment capability eliminates potential rod bending, scoring, and excessive seal wear common to conventional cylinders.

COMPACT STARTING HEIGHT - Airstroke actuators have a low profile compared to conventional cylinders. Our smallest Airstroke actuator (2.2 inch/dia.) collapses to just 1.1 inches in height, while our largest triple convoluted Airstroke (37 inch/dia.) will collapse to a very com­pact 5.5 inches.

FACTORY SEALED AND TESTED - Most Airstroke actuators feature Firestone's proven concept of crimped end plates. The crimped design allows for preshipment testing and quicker installa­tion on equipment.

What is a Firestone Isolator?

A Firestone Airmount Isolator is a device that prevents one object from affecting another. The Isolator allows both objects to exist in their natural state without influence from the other. With a Firestone Airmount isolator, one of the objects is allowed to vibrate without transmitting all of the energy of that vibration to the other object. For many years, Firestone has been in the business of designing and developing a wide range of mounts and supports to isolate vibrations that are detrimental to many industrial and manufacturing environments.

Why use an Airmount isolator rather than a coil spring or other type of isolator?

UNSURPASSED ISOLATION CAPABILITY - Airmount isolators can provide the highest degree of isolation of any type vibration isolator. System natural frequencies as low as 60 cycles per minute (1 Hertz) are available. The addition of an auxiliary reservoir can provide even lower system frequencies. In order to achieve similar results from a conventional coil spring isolator, a real deflection of 9 inches would be required.

CONSTANT ISOLATION EFFICIENCY - Airmount isolators are unique in that the system's natural frequency does not change significantly with changes in load. This unique feature, combined with accurate height control, will allow the use of the same Airmount isolator at each mounting point of an unevenly loaded machine.

ACCURATE HEIGHT CONTROL - Airmount isolators provide accurate height control through regulation of internal air pressure. This feature eliminates the fatigue and permanent set found in the use of other types of vibration isolators.

WIDE SIZE RANGE - Airmount isolators are capable of isolating loads of 100 pounds per mounting point to over 100,000 pounds per mounting point.

COMPACT INSTALLED HEIGHT - Airmount isolators can carry the loads and provide the isolation described above at installed heights as low as 2.5 inches. Coil springs providing equal isolation would require a free height of 5 to 25 inches.

EXTENDED EQUIPMENT LIFE - Airmount isolators extend equipment life through their superior isolation capabilities.

EFFECTIVE NOISE REDUCTION - Airmount isolators reduce structurally transmitted noise. Airmount isolators are also quiet in themselves, since there is no spring chatter as found in conventional coil springs.

VERSATILE - Airmount isolators can be used not only to protect structural members from vibrating machinery, but are also widely used to protect delicate equipment from structurally transmitted vibration.