Abstract: A dampener including a valve movable between an open position and a closed position to selectively alter the compression damping rate of the shock absorber. The valve may include a self-centering feature which operates to keep the valve body centered about the valve shaft. The dampener may also include a timer feature, which retains the valve in an open position for a predetermined period of time after it is initially opened.

Abstract: A dampener including a valve movable between an open position and a closed position to selectively alter the compression damping rate of the shock absorber. The valve may include a self-centering feature which operates to keep the valve body centered about the valve shaft. The dampener may also include a timer feature, which retains the valve in an open position for a predetermined period of time after it is initially opened.

Abstract: A dampener including a valve movable between an open position and a closed position to selectively alter the compression damping rate of the shock absorber. The valve may include a self-centering feature which operates to keep the valve body centered about the valve shaft. The dampener may also include a timer feature, which retains the valve in an open position for a predetermined period of time after it is initially opened.

Abstract: An adjustable shock absorber includes a shock rod having a longitudinal axis. A shock body is disposed around a portion of the shock rod, the shock body defining a first fluid chamber therein and being slidable along the longitudinal axis. A piston is disposed on the shock rod in sealing engagement with the shock body. The piston has at least one channel therethrough in communication with the first fluid chamber. At least one valve is in fluid communication with the channel to control fluid movement through the channel. A support is movable longitudinally along the shock rod and is disposed adjacent to the valve. An adjustment mechanism is provided for altering a longitudinal position of the movable support to adjust the valve's operation by altering the fluid movement through the channel.

Abstract: A variable damper assembly 10 is provided for use with a vehicle power steering system and includes a variable orifice valve 20 which controls the flow of fluid between one chamber side 30 of the damper assembly to another chamber side 32 of the damper assembly. Variable orifice valve 20 is communicatively coupled to a source of pressurized fluid 110 by use of a conduit 112 and an electronically controlled valve assembly 114. The pressurized fluid received through conduit 112 controls the operation of valve 20. Based upon the pressure of the received fluid, valve 20 selectively increases and reduces the fluid flow rate between chamber sides 30 and 32, thereby causing the damper assembly 10 to have enhanced damping characteristics during certain vehicle operating conditions (e.g., during relatively high vehicle speed operating conditions).

Abstract: A shock absorber for damping shock energy generated by downhole perforating guns or stimulation devices is described. The shock absorber includes a spring assembly including at least a first spring and a second spring, the first spring having a tension greater than the second spring; a damper assembly; and a housing retaining the spring assembly and the damper assembly and including ends adapted for connection into a casing perforation assembly. The provision of springs of increasing stiffness permits the force generated by the perforating gun to be absorbed gradually and smoothly.

Abstract: A shock absorber which is responsive to changes in inertia from turning, accelerating or stopping, the change in inertia blocking flow of damping fluid in the normal reactive direction and allowing flow in the opposite direction, the flow in the opposite or corrective direction being propelled by road surface features, such that the shock absorber will level the vehicle and over-correct against the effects of the inertia. Piston travel in the corrective direction is limited as the piston approaches either end of the cylinder by providing a flow path around the piston to prevent the piston contacting the end of the cylinder.

Abstract: A twin tube shock absorber having inner and outer tube with an annular reservoir between the tubes. A piston in the inner tube divides the inner tube into an upper chamber and a lower chamber and valves through the piston control stiffness of the shock absorber. An acceleration sensitive valve assembly mounted in the base valve makes the shock absorber “soft” upon downward acceleration of the wheel of the vehicle in which the shock absorber is mounted. The valve assembly includes a port for fluid communication between the lower chamber and a conduit, and an inertial mass blocking the port in a port-closed position and not blocking the port in a port-open position. The inertial mass is normally in a lower port-closed position in absence of downward acceleration of the tubes of the shock absorber. Upon downward acceleration of the tubes, the inertial mass moves upwardly toward a port-open position where fluid flow through the port is not blocked.

Abstract: A bicycle shock absorber for differentiating between rider-induced forces and terrain-induced forces comprising: a first fluid chamber having fluid contained therein; a piston for compressing the fluid within the fluid chamber; a second fluid chamber coupled to the first fluid chamber by a fluid communication hose; and an inertial valve disposed within the second fluid chamber, the inertial valve opening in response to terrain-induced forces and providing communication of fluid compressed by the piston from the first fluid chamber to the second fluid chamber; and the inertial valve not opening in response to rider-induced forces and preventing communication of the fluid compressed by the piston from the first fluid chamber to the second fluid chamber.

Abstract: A hydraulic damper comprises a first chamber and second chamber separated by a wall. The wall contains at least one passage that extends generally between the first chamber and the second chamber. The passage is opened and closed by a valve member. The valve member is formed by a first sheet and a second sheet that generally form a fluid chamber. The fluid chamber is in direct communication with the first chamber through an aperture in the first sheet and in selective communication with the second chamber when the second sheet moves away from the first sheet. The first sheet also can move from the wall to allow fluid communication between the passage.

Abstract: An acceleration sensitive shock absorber has a tubular housing and a piston assembly in the housing dividing the housing into an upper chamber and a lower chamber. The piston is connected to the wheel of a vehicle and the housing is connected to the chassis of the vehicle. Fluid can pass between the upper and lower chambers with a restricted flow rate during either extension or compression of the shock absorber. There is a port for providing fluid flow from the lower chamber to the upper chamber during downward acceleration of the wheel. A movable inertial mass in the piston assembly opens the port during downward acceleration of the wheel of the vehicle for increasing flow between the chambers. A pocket beneath the inertial mass applies sufficient pressure to the inertial mass to retain it in a port-open position during fluid flow after acceleration has decreased. An enlarged diameter relief portion inside the inertial mass minimizes inconsistent performance in mass produced shock absorbers.

Abstract: The present invention provides an improved method and apparatus for controlling damping in a shock absorber based on the relative acceleration between the shock main body and the piston rod extended from the shock main body. The shock absorber has a reservoir compartment and a fluid-filled internal chamber divided into a compression compartment and a rebound compartment by a movable piston. A piston rod is connected to the piston and extends through a seal in the rebound end of the internal chamber. The shock absorber contains flow passages connecting, and normally allowing fluid to flow between, the reservoir compartment, the compression compartment and the rebound compartment. Fluid flow in the flow passages, which is directly related to the relative motion between the shock main body and the piston rod assembly, is allowed or inhibited based on the relative acceleration between shock absorber components.

Abstract: A passive damping for a shock absorber is disclosed. The shock absorber includes a working chamber, and a piston disposed in the working chamber. The piston includes a primary bypass valve for defining an upper fluid portion and a lower fluid portion. A piston rod is connected to the piston and extends through the top portion of the working chamber. A variable bypass assembly is disposed between a first fluid chamber and a second fluid chamber. The variable bypass assembly includes at least one bypass aperture for providing communication of damping fluid between the first and second fluid chambers. The variable bypass assembly also includes a passive control member for varying the size of the bypass aperture, and biasing structure for normally retaining the passive control member in a position which maximizes the size of the bypass aperture.

Abstract: An acceleration sensitive shock absorber has a tubular housing and a piston assembly in the housing dividing the housing into an upper chamber and a lower chamber. The piston is connected to the wheel of a vehicle and the housing is connected to the chassis of the vehicle. Fluid can pass between the upper and lower chambers with a restricted flow rate during either extension or compression of the shock absorber. There is a first port for providing fluid flow from the lower chamber to the upper chamber upon downward acceleration of the wheel. A movable inertia valve in the piston assembly opens the first port when acceleration of the wheel of the vehicle is greater than a predetermined magnitude for increasing flow between the chambers. In addition, there is a first orifice downstream from the first port for creating hydraulic pressure which biases the inertia valve in an open position in response to fluid flow between the chambers.

Abstract: A passive damping system for a shock absorber is disclosed. The shock absorber includes a working chamber, and a piston disposed in the working chamber. The piston includes a primary bypass valve for defining an upper fluid portion and a lower fluid portion. A piston rod is connected to the piston and extends through the top portion of the working chamber. A variable bypass assembly is disposed between a first fluid chamber and a second fluid chamber. The variable bypass assembly includes at least one bypass aperture for providing communication of damping fluid between the first and second fluid chambers. The variable bypass assembly also includes a passive control member for varying the size of the bypass aperture, and biasing structure for normally retaining the passive control member in a position which maximizes the size of the bypass aperture.

Abstract: An acceleration sensitive shock absorber has a tubular housing and a piston assembly in the housing dividing the housing into an upper chamber and a lower chamber. The piston is connected to the wheel of a vehicle and the housing is connected to the chassis of the vehicle. Fluid can pass between the upper and lower chambers with a restricted flow rate during either extension or compression of the shock absorber. There is a first port for providing fluid flow from the lower chamber to the upper chamber during downward acceleration of the wheel. A movable inertia mass in the piston assembly opens the first port during downward acceleration of the wheel of the vehicle for increasing flow between the chambers. A pocket beneath the inertial mass applies sufficient pressure to the inertial mass to retain it in a port-open position during fluid flow after acceleration has decreased.

Abstract: An acceleration sensitive shock absorber has a tubular housing and a piston assembly in the housing dividing the housing into an upper chamber and a lower chamber. The piston is connected to the wheel of a vehicle and the housing is connected to the chassis of the vehicle. Fluid can pass between the upper and lower chambers with a restricted flow rate during either extension or compression of the shock absorber. There is a first port for providing fluid flow from the lower chamber to the upper chamber upon downward acceleration of the wheel. A movable inertia valve in the piston assembly opens the first port when acceleration of the wheel of the vehicle is greater than a predetermined magnitude for increasing flow between the chambers. In addition, there is a first orifice downstream from the first port for creating hydraulic pressure which biases the inertia valve in an open position in response to fluid flow between the chambers.

Abstract: A rebound cutoff feature is provided for a strut-type suspension damper which includes a hydraulic stop feature in combination with a mechanical stop to limit rebound travel. The strut's piston rod carries a valve collar which interacts with the sole flow passage between the compression and rebound chambers of the strut to hydraulically decelerate movement as the rebound travel limit of the strut is approached.

Abstract: A modified McPherson strut has inner and outer tubes which are connected to the wheel of a vehicle. A piston within the inner tube is connected to a piston rod which is connected to the body of a vehicle. The piston divides the inner tube into an upper chamber and a lower chamber, with the upper chamber being in fluid communication with an annular gallery formed between the inner and outer tubes. Normal damping is provided by fluid passing though metering valves in the piston between the upper and lower chambers. The strut also includes an accumulator gallery inside the bottom of the outer tube with a foot valve for restricted fluid flow from the lower chamber into the accumulator gallery and essentially unrestricted flow from the accumulator gallery back into the lower chamber. An acceleration sensitive inertial mass in a bypass passage is normally closed and opens upon upward acceleration of the tubes during strut compression.

Abstract: The invention relates to a safety device for a system transported on board a vehicle, in particular an aircraft, said system being connected to the structure of the vehicle via at least one element having a cylindrical body and a telescopic rod. According to the invention, the body and the rod of each element together define two internal fluid chambers which are normally isolated from each other, a communication passage being provided between the two chambers and normally being closed by an associated throttling valve, the throttling valve being controlled by acceleration-sensing means using a mass that is movable in the axial direction of the telescopic element and that is associated with a rated spring. The means is organized to cause the throttling valve to open as soon as the sensed acceleration exceeds a threshold which is predetermined as a function of the system to be protected, the acceleration of the system thus being kept below the threshold by the telescopic element changing in length.

Abstract: A twin tube shock absorber has concentric inner and outer tubes connected to the wheel of a vehicle. A piston in the inner tube is connected to the chassis of the vehicle and divides the interior of the inner tube into upper and lower chambers. Fluid passes between these chambers and an annular reservoir between the tubes for absorbing shock in a conventional manner. An orifice is provided through the sidewall of the lower portion of the inner tube and is surrounded by a lower sleeve, which normally keeps the orifice closed. Upon upward acceleration of the tubes, the sleeve essentially remains fixed in space. The relative movement between the sleeve and tubes aligns a passage through the sleeve with the orifice and permits fluid to flow from the lower chamber below the piston to the annular reservoir. This provides a softer shock absorber when high upward acceleration is felt by the tubes of the shock absorber and a stiffer shock absorber during times when there is no large upward acceleration.

Abstract: A hydraulic inertial vibration isolator is connected between a vibrating body and an isolated body. The vibration isolator comprises a cylinder which includes two chambers and a piston therebetween. The chambers are connected by a tuning passage in which a solid tuning slug is slidably disposed. The chambers and the portion of the tuning passage not occupied by the tuning slug are filled with liquid. Bypass passages connecting the tuning passage to the chambers allow the liquid pressures in the chambers to equalize when the amplitude of the tuning slug's oscillatory motion is sufficiently large, thereby limiting the tuning slug's amplitude. Dashpots axially disposed adjacent to either end of the tuning slug act to damp excessive tuning slug motion and to bias the tuning slug toward the center of the tuning passage.

Abstract: A twin-pipe shock absorber comprises a working cylinder (1), a piston (4) which is movable in the cylinder and has a passage and upstream valve (13, 14, 15), an external pipe (2) which is fitted around the working cylinder having an oil tank (3) formed therebetween, a disc (7) having a passage (16) and an upstream valve (17) positioned near the passage to shut off the working cylinder, a central pipe (10) extending through the piston (4) having its bottom end projecting through the disc (7) so as to produce a shock absorber in which the shock absorption can be adapted very rapidly to the frequency of movement of the upsprung wheel guide part, the damper valve being disposed at the bottom end of the central pipe (10), and a regulation device to regulate the damping exerted by the damper valve depending at least on the frequency at which the working cylinder vibrates.

Abstract: A shock absorber which is inertia responsive in both compression and extension strokes to provide rapid flow in either direction responsive to rapid large changes in loading as caused by a bump or dip. The inertia responsive valving is located in the piston or the piston rod or both affording simple shock absorber body design and simple cooling. The inertia responsive valving members are longitudinally slidable and of substantially uniform cross section so as to be substantially immune to acceleration forces due to turns and are substantially insensitive to pressure changes.

Abstract: The shock absorber has a housing containing a damping chamber, a shock absorber piston mounted for movement in the chamber and an inertia operated damping control valve in the damping chamber for altering a damping factor of the piston movement in the chamber in response to a shock input or in response to an aceleration of the shock absorber. The damping chamber comprises a cylindrical housing and the inertia operated damping control valve comprises an orifice in the damping chamber housing, a pivotable valve member positioned to cover the orifice and a resilient member for biasing the movable valve member over the orifice. The damping chamber housing is oriented generally vertically and the resilient member is positioned between the cylindrical housing and the valve member.

Abstract: A shock absorber works with a variable element (15) which determines the size of a medium passage between the upper and lower sides of a piston (10) in the absorber. The element is arranged so that, with the help of the inertia of its mass, it can carry out a relative displacement movement in its bearing when an acceleration force acts on the mass as a result of the acceleration of the object. The element (15), responsive to the displacement movement, exerts influence on the size of the medium passage.

Abstract: A shock absorber comprises a tubular working cylinder (12) to be mounted on a suspended part of a vehicle, with a piston rod assembly (26) received slidably in the working cylinder (12) having an end (28) to be mounted on a fixed part of the vehicle. The piston rod assembly (26) has at its free end a piston member (40) cooperating with the working cylinder (12) to divide the interior thereof into an upper (52) and a lower working chamber (50), with a valve mechanism in the piston member (40) to permit controlled two-way flow between the upper and lower working chambers (52, 50). A mass (58) is mounted in the shock absorber and displaceable in response to a predetermined acceleration of the shock absorber from a first position in which the mass closes a passage (56, 54, 90) between the working chamber (52) and a reservoir (50; 22), and a second position in which the passage (56, 54, 90) is open.

Abstract: The fluid circuitry connecting variable volume chambers of the semiactive damper includes valve assemblies which collectively effect mechanical implementation of a preselected damper control policy that is based in part upon changes in the sign of the absolute velocity of a supported member of the system of which the damper forms a part. One of the valve assemblies has an inertial body which is connected to a movable system member but which remains substantially stationary during system operation. The inertial body and a valve member of the assembly are interconnected by a linkage which in one embodiment includes a frictional type connector, and which in another embodiment includes a dashpot.

Abstract: A hydraulic shock isolator damping valve exhibiting variable damping depending on degree of valve extension is described which comprises a hydraulic cylinder defining closed fluid reservoirs at each end, a piston within the cylinder and interconnecting the structural members between which relative movement is damped, the piston having first and second axially spaced portions sized for slidably engaging the inner surface of the cylinder and including an intermediate third axial portion of reduced outer diametric size, the first and second portions each including a predetermined number of axial holes sized for displacement of fluid through the piston in response to movement of the piston through the fluid, and an annular member of outer diameter smaller than the first and second portions slidable on the third portion between confronting surfaces of the first and second portions, the annular member including a pair of confronting peripheral flanges, each including axial holes smaller in size and corresponding in

Abstract: A damping arrangement for the tub assembly of a washing machine and the like in which a piston mounted on a piston rod in the cavity of a cylinder axially separates two compartments of the cavity and is formed with restricted throttling passages connecting the compartments. The piston may be by-passed by a bore in the piston rod having respective orifices in the two compartments, one orifice being capable of being blocked by an inert mass mounted on the piston rod in one of the compartments for oscillation at the end of a spring. Movement of the inert mass away from a rest position toward which it is normally biased by the spring is limited by a secondary hydraulic damper to prevent operating noise and reduce premature wear.

Abstract: A vibration damper with a hydraulic damping mechanism for vehicle spring systems, in which damping valves operating by throttling the pressure medium displaced out of one working space into the other working space are interconnected between two working spaces of the hydraulic pressure medium; the two working spaces are short circuited by a by-pass connection by-passing the damping valves whereby a by-pass valve is also interconnected into the by-pass connection which operates as a function of oscillation velocity and whose valve adjusting member adjusts the by-pass connection to a narrower cross section with rising oscillation velocities.

Abstract: The invention provides a shock absorber for wheeled and track type vehicles in which the conventional compression valve is replaced by an acceleration controlled vortex throttle. A beam deflection amplifier introduces fluid radially, tangentially or at an intermediate position into a vortex chamber under control of an accelerometer. The vortex throttle is controlled such that in the presence of acceleration of a wheel relative to the ground shock motion is lightly resisted while long term movement of the wheel toward the vehicle is strongly resisted so that the wheel more closely follows the terrain contour with reduced energy delivered by the wheel to the vehicle body.

Abstract: A blocking device for an overhead conveyor having a combined limit stop and shock absorber which acts to define the end positions of a drive device which moves the blocking device between an operative and an inoperative position. The combined shock absorber and limit stop device comprises a body having two parallel plungers sliding in parallel bores of the body, the bores being linked at their closed ends by a passage having a restrictor throttle therein, the interior passage and the chambers are filled with oil which, upon its passage through the restrictor throttle, when one of the plungers is depressed, dissipates energy causing the depression and also serves to push out the other plunger ready for a subsequent depression when the device moves from one position to the other.