Abstract: To study the structural analysis method of automotive air-spring rubber air-bag, the geometric model of air-spring rubber air-bag is simplified. Then, the equations of internal force, stress, strain, cord force and deformation displacement of the rubber air-bag membrane are derived on the basis of membrane theory, netting theory and laminated plate theory, thus laying a theoretical basis for the structural analysis and strength check of rubber air-bag. To assess the accuracy and validity of the proposed structural analysis method, an air-spring used on a vehicle suspension is taken as an example, its deformation and cord force are calculated. For the purpose of comparison, a 3D finite element model of this air-spring is built, and its numerical analysis is carried out by using nonlinear finite element software ABAQUS. Comprehensive comparison of the calculation results of the two methods shows that the proposed structural analysis method not only predicts accurately, but also saves a great deal of calculation.

Key words: Laminated plate theory, Membrane theory, Rubber air-bag, Structural analysis