Abstract: A quick change shock absorber for providing for the quick and easy removal of a shock absorber from a fixture of an industrial machine. The quick change shock absorber provides a housing having a smooth, outer bore and a blind bore adaptable to hold a fluid. A piston is slidably disposed within the bore of the housing and is engageable with a driver for movement between an extended position, wherein the piston has a portion extending outwardly from the housing, and a retracted position, wherein the piston is disposed within the housing. The outer periphery is receivable by the fixture which has a bore for complementarily receiving the outer periphery of the housing. A rubber retaining ring seated within a recess of the housing of the shock absorber creates a level of friction between the outer periphery of the housing and the fixture that constitutes a snug fit for quick change removal and replacement of the housing from the fixture.

Abstract: A dampening apparatus for dampening an actuating member over a wide array of temperatures. The present invention provides a fluid filled housing having a first chamber, a second chamber, and a passageway therebetween. A first piston is slidably received within the first chamber for movement from a pre-actuated position to an actuated position. A second piston is slidably received within said second chamber for movement from said pre-actuated position to said actuated position. A spring disposed within the second chamber biases the second piston toward said passageway and maintains a constant level of fluid pressure within the housing regardless of the temperatures of the fluid. An exhaust port is in communication with the second chamber wherein the second piston is disposed between the passageway and the exhaust port in the pre-actuated position, and wherein the exhaust port is located between the passageway and the second piston in the actuated position to allow the fluid to escape through the exhaust port.

Abstract: An improved snubber assembly for interconnecting a driving conveyor assembly to a driven conveyor assembly. The snubber assembly includes a shield tube adapted to be attached to the driven conveyor assembly, a cylinder structure, a piston, and a piston rod. The cylinder structure includes a hollow inboard end portion defining a cylinder bore and slidably received in the bore of the shield tube and a solid outboard end portion closing the outboard end of the cylinder bore and positioned outside of the tube bore for attachment to the driving conveyor assembly. The piston is slidably mounted in the cylinder bore and a clevis is secured to the outboard end of the piston rod and fixedly mounted within the bore of the shield tube by a pin passing through the walls of the tube and through the clevis.

Abstract: A miniature shock absorber including an outer tubular housing, an inner tubular housing positioned within the outer tubular housing to define a pressure chamber within the inner housing and an annular accumulator chamber between the housings, a piston mounted for movement in the inner tubular housing, and a piston rod extending out of the front end of the tubular housings for impact by an object to be decelerated. A needle valve is positioned in the rear end of the shock absorber for coaction with an axial passage defined at the rear end of the pressure chamber. The needle valve is threadably received in the rear end wall of the shock absorber and includes an external knob to threadably move the needle valve relative to the axial passage to thereby vary the resistance offered to an impacting object.

Abstract: A shock absorber of the linear deceleration type in which the housing includes a forward reduced diameter threaded portion and a fixed flange at the rear end of the housing. This arrangement combines the advantages of the primary type of shock absorber and the fixed flange type of shock absorber and allows the invention shock absorber to be mounted in a wide variety of work situations with the mounting in each situation providing a positive position of the shock absorber relative to the mounting structure so that the shock absorber may be exchanged without fear of losing the precise positioning of the shock absorber relative to the object to be decelerated and with the mounting in each situation allowing the ready provision of a stop member to accurately position the component being stopped and to assure that the shock absorber will not bottom out internally.

Abstract: A shock-absorbing device (10) includes an inner cylinder (22) surournded by an outer tube (12) whose ends are enclosed by end caps (14, 128). A piston (42) within the cylinder (22) forces hydraulic fluid through holes (106-116). A metering sleeve (130) slidable over the cylinder (22) includes cross-cut openings (132-142) therein defining rectangularly-shaped metering orifices which selectively close off the openings (106-116) in the cylinder (22) to adjust the flow of hydraulic fluid, and thereby alter the shock-absorbing characteristics of the device. The cross-cut openings (132-142) may be formed by passing a cutting element along a straight stroke through a side of the metering sleeve (130) at a depth sufficient to create an orifice in the inner wall of the sleeve (130).

Abstract: A weld gun assembly including a support structure; a pair of arm members pivotally mounted intermediate their ends on the support structure on a common pivot axis; a weld tip at one end of each arm member; an air cylinder interconnected between the other ends of the arm members and operative when actuated to move the weld tips together in a closing direction; and a pair of hydraulic cushioning devices extending respectively between the support structure and one arm member and between the support structure and the other arm member. The cushioning devices are selectively adjustable to vary the resistance provided to the movement of each arm member toward its closed position so that the resistance to the closing movement of each arm member may be selectively adjusted in compensation for the unbalanced forces that are acting on the individual arm members and thereby ensure that the weld tips arrive at their welding position adjacent the panels to be welded at the same time.

Abstract: A weld gun assembly including a support structure; a pair of arm members pivotally mounted intermediate their ends on the support structure on a common pivot axis; a weld tip at one end of each arm members; an air cylinder interconnected between the other ends of the arm members and operative when actuated to move the weld tips together in a closing direction; and a pair of hydraulic control devices extending respectively between the support structure and one arm member and between the support structure and the other arm member. The control devices function to ensure that the weld tips arrive at their closed welding position adjacent the panels to be welded at the same time irrespective of unbalancing forces acting on the weld gun and further function to ensure that there are no unbalancing forces tending to move the closed tips away from their closed positions.

Abstract: A shock absorber includes a piston slidably mounted in a fluid cylinder for decelerating the motion of an object acting on the shock absorber. A metering mechanism adjusts the rate at which fluid escapes from the cylinder upon displacement of the piston caused by impact of the object. A proximity sensor disposed in the end of the cylinder provides an indication of when the piston reaches a displacement position corresponding to a stroke length in which maximum energy is transferred from the object to the fluid. The proximity sensor includes an electrical probe extending through the end wall of the cylinder and possesses an electrical property whose magnitude varies in accordance with the distance between the piston and the probe.

Abstract: A shock absorber for providing a linear decelerating force to a machine part by the use of a piston which forces fluid through a series of metering orifices formed by coaction of holes in the piston cylinder and internal annular grooves formed in a metering sleeve which fits over the cylinder. An infinite number of adjustments in the shock absorber characteristics are achieved by moving the grooves in the metering sleeve in orbital pattern relative to the holes in the cylinder. The annular grooves have a semicircular cross section to provide smooth flow through the metering passages and to concentrate the pressure drop in the shock absorber as turbulent flow occurring at the metering point defined by the overlap between the semicircular annular grooves and the associated holes in the cylinder.

Abstract: A shock absorber assembly of the so-called primary type in which the outer cylinder includes a central main body smooth walled cylindrical portion and reduced diameter threaded portions are provided at each end of the main body portion for mounting purposes. The assembly of the invention includes a stop collar which is adapted to be threaded onto the front reduced diameter threaded portion of the shock absorber and which has a length which is precisely dimensioned relative to the effective length and stroke of the shock absorber such that the object hitting the impact pad of the shock absorber will encounter the front annular edge of the stop collar just prior to bottoming of the piston of the shock absorber against the end wall of the cylinder.

Abstract: A shock absorber including an inner tube closed at its rearward end and open at its forward end and having a plurality of ports formed at longitudinally spaced locations along its side wall, a piston rod and piston head assembly slidably received in the inner tube with the rearward end of the piston head spaced from the closed rearward end of the inner tube and the piston rod projecting forwardly out of the open forward end of the inner tube for impact by a moving object, an outer tube comprising the outer casing of the shock absorber and surrounding the inner tube, a plurality of longitudinally spaced interior grooves in the outer tube respectively registering with the ports in the inner tube and skewed with respect to the longitudinal axis of the shock absorber, and an annular accumulator chamber defined forwardly of the inner tube between the inner periphery of the outer tube and the outer periphery of the piston rod.

Abstract: A hydraulic shock absorber is disclosed of the type including a piston slidably mounted in a cylinder, with a metering sleeve defining variable area orifices utilized to produce variable resistance to movement of the piston in the cylinder. The shock absorber structure includes a piston having two piece construction with head and rod components brazed together into a unitary assembly, as well as a bearing sleeve retainer for the piston rod bearing formed in three separate pieces in order to provide relatively reduced manufacturing costs of these components over one piece construction.

Abstract: A shock absorber for providing a decelerating force employs a piston disposed in a cylinder acting to displace the hydraulic fluid through a programmed series of orifices disposed along the length of the cylinder, with turbulent flow of the hydraulic fluid through the orifices. An adjustment in the shock absorber characteristics is achieved by a sleeve slidably fit over the cylinder, the cylinder having a series of ports with the sleeve being formed with a corresponding series of encircling straight-sided grooves which extend transversely with respect to the radial planes of the cylinder, such that each groove defines a variable area orifice depending on the rotative position of the sleeve over the cylinder by the overlying of the groove and cylinder ports.