Products > Polyurethane Suspension Bushes

Bonaprene Products are producers of a huge range of polyurethane parts for the automotive industry. Bonaprene supply parts to every type of customer in the automotive world including:

• Earth moving equipment manufacturers
• Fork lift truck manufacturers
• Road sweeper manufacturers
• Bus manufacturers
• Truck and van manufacturers
• Sports car manufacturers
• Road roller manufacturers
• Tipper truck manufacturers
• Four x four car manufacturers
• Polybush after market sales
• Military vehicle manufacturers
• Luxury car manufacturers

 

Bonaprene Products range of automotive part types are detailed below. Bonaprene Products make these parts in a wide range of hardness’s and chemical grades of polyurethane, called Bonathane. Bonaprene's in house machining and tool making facility combined with Bonaprene's comprehensive polyurethane to metal bonding facility allows any type and size of part to be undertaken.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bonaprene Solves Your Problems!
If you are a design and development engineer for vehicle suspension parts, Bonaprene can solve your problems with a material that overcomes the following drawbacks of rubber suspension parts: 

 

  

•  A too high wear rate
•  The high cost of tooling and prototypes
•  High minimum order quantities for bespoke designs
• The long lead time for prototypes
• The wearing away of mating metal parts
• The deterioration due to the effects of petrol and oil
• Poor resilience especially at high hardness
• Poor load bearing and low tensile strength
• High compression set causing permanent deformation
• High temperatures generating by the working bush leading to failure

 

 

 

Why use Polyurethane for your vehicle suspension bush requirements?
Bonathane polyurethane is an ideal material for making into vehicle suspension bushes. Bonathane's combination of high tensile strength and elasticity translates into immense durability in the toughest conditions. Polyurethane vehicle suspension bushes have excellent resilience, springing back in to shape effortlessly to absorb shock and prevent dirt ingress and wear. Bonathane polyurethane vehicle suspension bushes don't age or perish - rubber vehicle suspension bushes both perish and are attacked by oils and fuels. Bonathane polyurethane has great versatility at low temperatures with typical service temperatures ranging from –40ºC to +80ºC.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bonathane Polyurethane Proves Long Working Life
A European bus manufacturer was looking for a link bush that would offer the ultimate performance and longevity. Using the Millbrook Proving Ground in Bedfordshire, they compared standard rubber bushes with Bonaprene’s Bonathane polyurethane: 

The tests were repetitive +/- 80mm anti-roll bar movement cycles on a fixed test bed plus ride comparisons on a road vehicle. The results were:

• The rubber vehicle suspension bushes failed after 5,000 to 15,000 cycles
• Bonaprene's polyurethane vehicle suspension bushes lasted 55,000 cycles
• Bonaprene’s polyurethane vehicle suspension bushes were measured at 10 to 15º C cooler than the rubber bush while operating on the test bed.
• Bonaprene’s polyurethane vehicle suspension bushes did not change the ride of the vehicle. 

 

 

Photo comparing the rubber with the

Bonaprene Bonathane polyurethane bush

 

   

   

Bonaprene Products are now a supplier of a range of Polyurethane vehicle suspension bushes to this European bus manufacturer.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bonathane Polyurethane Solves Permanent Compression Problem 

A customer asked Bonaprene to compare samples taken from a problem rubber vehicle suspension bush with two possible Bonathane polyurethane vehicle suspension bush alternatives. The customer's bush was permanently compressing under load and then splitting radially. 

The samples were compressed at 30mm per minute to 50% of their original thickness and relaxed at the same rate. This cycle was repeated without interruption over 20 cycles. 

The actual force and reduction in force between the first and last cycle were: 

 

Results
	Maximum Force First Cycle	Maximum Force Last Cycle	Force Loss
Bonathane 65ºA	1644N	1614N	1.8%
Bonathane 75ºA	2756N	2656N	3.6%
Original rubber bush 65º A	1912N	1700N	11.1%

 

The table shows how quickly the rubber vehicle suspension bush permanently compresses compared to the equivalent hardness of polyurethane vehicle suspension bush. Once in this state, the rubber vehicle suspension bush's resilience and ability to flex is greatly reduced causing splitting and failure. 

Polyurethane Vehicle Suspension Anti Roll Bar Bushes

 

 

  

 

Bonaprene’s Bonathane polyurethane has been used very widely to solve the many problems of rubber anti roll bar bushes used on vehicle suspensions.

 

 

 

 

• Bonaprene have solved bus manufacturers problems of roll bar lift caused by the rubber in the bush quickly compression setting and therefore making a loose fit to the bar with all the resultant problems of reduced anti roll and ingress of bar wearing grit.
• When standard vehicles are armoured, such as 4x4s, the rubber anti roll bar bush does not have the necessary tensile strength to provide the anti roll with the increase in weight. Without the necessity for complex design upgrades Bonathane polyurethane has provided a simple solution to this vehicle suspension problem.
• On military vehicles, where the extremes of the environment quickly wear out rubber Bonathane polyurethane’s high wear resistance quickly comes into it’s own. 
• From classic car racing through to modern day works team rallying Bonathane polyurethane provides the winner. The superior properties of polyurethane control the link between anti roll bar and the chassis precisely making for superior handling at speed.  
• Where problems of squeaking or excessive wear needs to be solved Bonaprene offer specialist additives blended into the polyurethane during the moulding process that lower the coefficient of friction without recourse to messy greases.

 

Polyurethane Vehicle Suspension Control Arm Bushes  

 

• Bonaprene’s Bonathane polyurethane's elasticity allows vehicle suspension control arms to move as intended whilst Bonathane vehicle suspension bushes tensile strength soaks up punishment from cornering, braking, and accelerating and poor road surfaces. 
• By fitting Bonathane polyurethane vehicle suspension control arm bushes owners of a wide range of classic cars have found huge improvements to the handling of their vehicles. The modern elastomer technology that Bonathane delivers provides suspension bushing quality and longevity the original vehicle designers could only dream of.
• For specialist manufacturers, using Bonaprene, allows bespoke designs at the fraction of the volumes of the multi national suspension bush suppliers. Combined with the simpler designs that are possible because of polyurethane’s vastly superior properties and Bonaprene’s low tooling costs the specialist manufacture no longer needs to compromise on vehicle suspension bush design.
• With Bonaprene’s comprehensive metal to polyurethane bonding every conceivable bush design is available to the vehicle engineer. Bonaprene make parts combined with pressings, fabrications, assemblies, hardened steels and specialist metals. 
• Bonaprene make vehicle suspension bushes for control arms, radius arms, Panhard rods, wishbone suspension, MacPherson struts, and multi link suspensions.

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Polyurethane Vehicle Suspension Leaf Spring Bushes

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Spring bushes are subject to the same forces as a control arm bush, as well as supporting the weight of the vehicle. Bonaprene’s Bonathane polyurethane, with its combination of strength and elasticity, improve bush life and ride quality. It is also often the case that a simpler design of two polyurethane top hats and a tube can be used in place of the OEM rubber bonded inner and outer shell. With this top hate design not only are there the benefits stated above but also fittings and vehicle down time are reduced. 

Polyurethane Vehicle Suspension Shock Absorber Bushes

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Shock absorber bushes used on vehicle suspensions can crush down leaving the shock absorber to rattle on its mountings. Bonaprene’s Bonathane polyurethane's resilience counters this without needing as hard a bush. This means the ride remains unaffected, the shock absorber and strut works precisely and down time for maintenance is reduced. Because Bonathane polyurethane can be formulated to different hardness the design engineer also has the option of altering the ride to suit different requirements. 

Polyurethane Vehicle Mounting Bushes

 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bonaprene manufacture Bonathane polyurethane vehicle mounting bushes for chassis, differentials, alternators, cab, steering, suspension, engines and transmissions. When standard rubber mounting bushes fail, due their poor mechanical strengths, vehicle builders and vehicle operators opt for Bonathane polyurethane. By itself, or combined with steel as a bonded assembly, Bonathane polyurethane not only gives longevity but more control, improving ride smoothness and body control. 

• Bonaprene supply body mounts to companies adapting standard chassis for up rated requirements such as 4x4s being converted to police or military designs. Because of Bonathane polyurethane’s superior properties mounting parts do not need to be reengineered to accommodate larger, higher capacity rubber mountings.

• When excessive vibration transfer from alternator mounts to passengers on city buses caused a major bus builder a problem Bonathane provided the solution. Specially formulated polyurethane isolated the vibration and operated in engine bay temperatures of 90 to 100ºC.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• Bonathane polyurethane is used on vehicles as diverse as small diggers and double-decker buses for engine and cab mounts.

Polyurethane Forklift Truck Axle Damping Blocks

 

Axle damping blocks are used on the world’s forklift trucks to provide damping as the axle twists with use. Bonaprene manufacture a range of types and sizes of axle damping blocks for many of the worlds forklift truck manufacturers. Bonathane polyurethane’s superior mechanical properties allow much smaller blocks per ton weight of vehicle without experiencing rubber’s problem of compression setting (permanently deforming under load). This means the operator gains a better operating suspension set up working at optimum performance for longer. Specifying Bonathane polyurethane has gained benefits for Bonaprene’s customers when upgrading the load capacity of machines. The customer has been able to avoid costly redesign and retooling as the Bonathane polyurethane has easily dealt with the greater loads. 

 

 

 

Polyurethane Vehicle Bump, Shock and Articulation Stops 

                                        
Bump stops are used widely on vehicles as protection when collisions between parts of the vehicle can occur. Bonaprene manufacture a range of such parts. 

Bump stops on truck tractor units to protect the chassis and suspension components during extreme suspension movement. Bonathane polyurethane’s ability to absorb kinetic energy

ERF bump stop  

 

 

 

 

Bump stops on raised suspension 4x4 vehicles where bespoke designs are required for these specialist adaptations. 

To aid with chassis protection on city buses from the impact caused when travelling over speed bumps and potholes. Large fleet bus operators install these specialist bump stops to make rapid air bag compression more progressive when going over these obstacles. Bonathane makes this possible through its low compression set, high tensile strength and the low cost of development and tooling. 

 

Articulation and oscillation stops on large earth moving vehicles such as articulated diggers and dumpers where the large weight of the vehicles and the high loads they carry create very high impact and compression and surface wear forces. The ability to bond polyurethane to steel assemblies and Bonathane polyurethane’s physical properties has made these parts a great success in the field for over ten years.

On earth moving dumpers Bonaprene body shock

pads are fitted to soak up the impact loads both when

loading the dump box and dropping it back onto

the chassis after emptying.