Abstract: A self-pumping hydropneumatic shock absorbing strut with internal level regulation contains a work cylinder which is filled with damping medium and is under the pressure of gas cushions, and a piston which can be displaced in the work cylinder on the end of a piston rod having a cavity disposed therein. The cavity in the piston rod acts as a pump cylinder of a pump rod which is fastened to the work cylinder, and, as a result of the spring movements, damping medium can be transported from a low pressure chamber into a high pressure chamber. The pump rod is realized in two parts, including an inner part which is connected to the work cylinder and an outer part which coaxially surrounds the inner part at least partly with radial clearance, which outer part is non-detachably connected to the inner part on the end of the outer part farther from the work cylinder.

Abstract: An improved shock absorber for a vehicle suspension system that incorporates an internal damping arrangement that permits a smooth transition between first and second damping rates. The mechanism includes a metering rod that is mounted in such a way that it will self-adjust in its position relative to a bore extending through the piston rod. An arrangement is disclosed for mounting the pistons on the piston rod so as to permit control of their positions without necessitating threaded adjusting devices.

Abstract: A shock absorber (10) is longitudinally compressible and extendable under the influence of vehicle suspension loads. The shock absorber (10) includes a tubular structure (16) which defines upper and lower hydraulic fluid chambers (52, 50) above and below a piston (18). A control rod (28) is supported for movement longitudinally through the piston (18) simultaneously with compression and extension of the shock absorber (10). The control rod (28) and the piston (18) together define a hydraulic fluid flow path extending through the piston (18) between the upper and lower fluid chambers (52, 50).

Abstract: A nonadjustable shock absorber that can accommodate for variations in weight, and propelling force, and to provide a specific deceleration or reaction force. The shock absorber provides dual function metering that combines soft contact dampening with the self compensating ability to decelerate a wide range of weights.

Abstract: Snubbers are useful in dampening inertia loads at the end of stroke movement of a hydraulic motor. Known snubbers usually have a spear type annular orifice with an associated plunger which usually restrict fluid flow in the non-snubbing mode thereby slowing response in the opposite direction. The subject snubber includes a snubber stem which is moved to contact the end of a tubular hydraulic cylinder so that all fluid from an actuating chamber must pass through a circular orifice which will build up pressure in the actuating chamber to provide a dampening effect on a piston rod assembly. When fluid is directed into the actuating chamber the snubber stem will move away from the end of the tubular hydraulic cylinder to allow free flow into the actuating chamber to provide quick response for extension of the piston rod assembly.

Abstract: A shock absorber is disclosed consisting of a piston rod and a piston with damping valves, whereby parallel to the damping valves of the piston there is a bypass connecting the work chambers, and in the cavity of the piston rod there is an axially movable control rod to modify the cross section of the bypass. To create a simple and economical bypass adjustment device and a simple, easily interchangeable or adaptable adjustment device, the invention teaches that the control rod is actuated by a drive device, and with a longitudinal hole forms a seat valve.

Abstract: An end-of-stroke bidirectional snubber for a suspension cylinder includes an elongate snubber element having a first flow regulating end portion co-acting with an annular edge for gradually restricting fluid flow from a head end chamber as the piston approaches an end wall of a casing to snub end-of-stroke retraction motion of a piston rod. The snubber element also has a second flow regulating end portion which coacts with a radial passage for gradually restricting fluid flow from a rod end chamber as the piston approaches an end of cap to snub end-of-stroke extension motion of the piston rod.

Abstract: A bicycle front suspension system includes a pair of V-shaped strut supports secured to a bicycle head tube in a spaced apart arrangement. Each strut support receives and secures the upper portion of a collapsible suspension strut to provide increased suspension travel. The lower end of each suspension strut is secured to the axle of a bicycle front wheel in a clamping action which increases the strength of the cycle front suspension. Each strut includes an oil dampened air spring mechanism in which the compression and rebound characteristics of the strut are independently adjustable.

Abstract: A bumper system including an extendable bumper resiliently disposed in the direction of impact. The system is compact and, even at elevated impact speeds, protects the automotive vehicle against damage. The bumper is extended by an adequate amount before or during the situation of danger. A progressive damping characteristic and a suitable drive to quickly extend and to safely return the bumper are provided.

Abstract: A buffer for railway vehicles includes a plunger telescopically received within an outer cylinder. An internal speed control valve, essentially independently of the forces acting on the buffer, causes the buffer to move inwardly at a predetermined initial velocity which is reduced by a uniform deceleration of such a level that the main portion of the plunger stroke is always used. The initial velocity corresponds to the maximum speed allowed during shunting operations, plus a safety margin determined by experience. The buffer has a leakage slot between the plunger and the cylinder to allow fluid flow around a throttling valve when the throttling valve is closed. The area of the leakage slot is dependent on the pressure within the buffer and the position of the plunger relative to the cylinder.

Abstract: A constant force air cushion arrangement for side impact protection, including a plurality of air cells mounted on the inner door panel. A tapered stem is integrally molded on the inner surface of each cell so as to extend toward the inner door panel. An orifice opening, which may have a diaphragm mounted therein, is formed in a wall of each cell adjacent the distal end of the tapered stem. In the event of a side impact of a predetermined force, the stem enters the orifice opening, either directly, or by bursting through the diaphragm in response to the relative velocity between the door and an occupant to progressively restrict the orifice opening and, hence, the volume of air forced out through the orifice by a progressively decreasing velocity between the door and the occupant.

Abstract: A hydropneumatic suspension strut adapted to be connected between the chassis and a wheel of an automotive vehicle. The strut has a piston with a rod having an axial passage connected to a hydropneumatic accumulator, and slides in a cylinder. A hydraulic stop arrests the movement of the piston at the end of its inward or driving stroke. The hydraulic driving stop includes, fixed to the end of the cylinder, a pin for entering an axial opening in a moving valve contained in an interior recess of the piston in such a manner that there is progressive restriction of the flow of hydraulic fluid through the valve, to cushion and stop the piston.

Abstract: A hydraulic shock absorber with a housing defining a high pressure space and containing a piston adapted to be moved by a mass to be damped. When the piston is moved for damping hydraulic fluid is displaced from the high pressure space so that there is a damping action. There is both a pressure-dependent damping device and also a piston stroke-dependent damping device.

Abstract: A moldable metering pin for an energy absorber unit includes an integral base having a plurality of openings. The base is press-fitted in an outer cylinder of the unit. The openings in the base prevent the formation of air pockets between the base and an end cap of the outer cylinder. During impact, fluid in a rear chamber passes to the end cap, thereby reducing fluid forces on the base of the metering pin.

Abstract: A hydraulic shock absorber is designed not only to support, for example, the body of a vehicle on an axle thereof, but also to adjust the level at which the body of the vehicle is disposed from the ground. The shock absorber has a shock absorber body, a piston axially slidably received in the body, and a piston rod having a hollow portion. The shock absorber further has a rod-shaped member secured at one end thereof to an inner portion of the shock absorber body and the other end thereof received in the hollow portion of the piston rod, and a detector for detecting a relative position of the piston rod and the rod-shaped member, the level detector being accommodated inside the piston rod. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of an erroneous detection and detect the level of the body of a vehicle with a high degree of accuracy.

Abstract: A telescopic hydraulic damper includes an outer tube filled with working oil, a pipe member mounted on the bottom of the outer tube, and an inner tube slidably disposed in the outer tube. A valve structure disposed in an inner end of the inner tube comprises a valve body lossely fitted over the pipe member, and a plurality of valve seats mounted in the inner end of the inner tube and spaced from each other across the valve body. The valve seats include an oil locking seat for shutting off working oil between the oil locking seat and the valve body upon engagement with each other, and a rebound seat for allowing working oil to flow between the rebound seat and the valve body upon engagement with each other. The oil locking seat having a surface for engaging the valve body, the surface being inclined at an acute angle with respect to the longitudinal axis of the damper.

Abstract: Landing gear mechanism includes a variable area orifice to obtain the desired rebound damping of the landing gear mechanism during landing, and one or more check valve assemblies that operate in conjunction with the variable area orifice to provide the desired controlled instroke of the landing gear mechanism during landing. Also, the landing gear mechanism is provided with a relief valve assembly that permits bypass flow at a pre-set pressure drop only during an intermediate portion of the instroke of the landing gear mechanism to attenuate severe bumps and the like without adversely affecting the controlled instroke and rebound damping of the landing gear mechanism during landing.

Abstract: An hydraulic energy dissipater with multiple working ratios, of the telescopic type, comprising a member with a variable cross-section, penetrating into a bore provided on the bottom of a piston and into a chamber provided inside the rod of the piston, which controls, as a function of its position with respect to the bore, the passage of fluid between two working chambers, either through weakly loaded valves or through more strongly loaded valves. The invention is applied more especially to the damping of yaw movements of bogies of railway rolling stock.

Abstract: The invention relates to a hydraulically-operating shock and vibration absorber or damper, having a cylinder closed at one end, a piston slidable within the cylinder, the piston being connected with a hollow piston rod extending out of the open end of the cylinder. The interior of the piston rod and the cylinder define a chamber filled with an incompressible damping fluid. A space is defined in the piston rod separated from the chamber by a slidable separating piston. The space contains a compressible agent. The damping fluid is pressed out of one portion the chamber, through the control port, into another portion when the shock absorber is under load. The compressible damping agent is air or gas under normal pressure or else pressurized.

Abstract: A shock absorber is disclosed having an outer cylinder closed at one end thereof, a hollow inner cylinder closed at one end and opened at an another end thereof, the open end being inserted in the outer cylinder, a guide member for guiding the inner cylinder slidably in the outer cylinder, a member for generating a damping force, the damping force generating member being connected to the open end of the inner cylinder, and having an orifice for throttling flow of hydraulic fluid from a chamber in the outer cylinder to a chamber in the inner cylinder, the orifice being in a central portion of the inner cylinder, and a plate-like stop provided between the inner cylinder and the damping force generating member for retaining the damping force generating member against the damping force within a predetermined range, the stop having an aperture greater than the orifice.

Abstract: An improved shear-type pressure relief device is provided which is useful in conjunction with pressure chambers requiring relief when system pressures exceed a predetermined level, such as in the shock absorbing piston and cylinder assemblies of present day vehicle bumpers. The relief device is preferably in the form of an integral, metallic body including a flange in engagement with a pressure chamber wall adjacent a relief opening, with a projection extending into the opening. The juncture between the flange and projection is advantageously very sharp (having a radius of less than about 0.020 inches) and the device is designed to shear upon experiencing high system pressures for relief purposes. In the case of vehicle bumpers the shear device is located on the shiftable, bumper-mounted piston thereof, and circumscribes the usual stationary, tapered, frame-mounted, flow-restricting rod.

Abstract: An oleopneumatic suspension with variable throttle orifices, particularly for aircraft landing gear comprising a rod (1) enclosing a pneumatic spring (2) and being fixed with respect to a piston (4) sliding in a cylinder (3), two valves (6) and (7) with permanent throttle orifices, the valve (6), which is of greater cross-section, throttling in the compression phase and the valve (7), which is of lesser cross-section, throttling in the extension phase, the suspension comprising in addition a throttle device, the section of whose orifice varies in dependence on the position and the direction of displacement of the piston (4) in the cylinder (3) so that over a given distance around a predetermined equilibrium position the orifices ensuring throttling in the compression and extension phases are of cross-sections respectively greater than the corresponding orifices over the remainder of the distance covered by the piston (4) in the cylinder (3).

Abstract: An optical scanning carriage which scans a document and is rapidly returned to the start of scan position is provided with a continuously working positive deceleration device. The device provides a triple mode of operation wherein in the first mode of operation a first maximum flyback velocity is achieved, in a second mode of operation a deceleration profile is achieved and in a final mode of operation a minimum constant velocity of the scanning carriage is achieved. Typically a spring builds up stored energy during the scan cycle which is released through a dashpot having a tapered metering pin connected to a piston forced in motion by the spring which progressively closes off an orifice in the end of a cylinder when the carriage is returned to the start of scan position.

Abstract: In a fluid displacement-type shock absorber, a piston responding to an impacting load moves within a cylinder, forcing hydraulic fluid therein out of one or more orifices into a reservoir. The resistive force of the piston depends upon its velocity, and the area of the orifice or orifices which control the rate at which the fluid can be displaced. The total available orifice are a for discharging fluid from the cylinder is progressively reduced as the piston is displaced from its initial position upon impact. The fixed orifice structure defines successive control regions, each of which is designed to provide a predetermined resistance profile and related deceleration control for a respective load system or mass system. The lightest mass system, traveling at its maximum velocity within the design range, reaches its limiting deceleration rate in the first control region.

Abstract: Oleo damper including a housing, a movable partition disposed in the housing for dividing the inside chamber of the housing into an oil compartment and a gas compartment, a damping piston disposed in the oil compartment, and a stationary partition disposed in the oil compartment between the piston and the movable partition. The stationary partition has an orifice which is cooperating with a needle carried on the movable partition. The needle has a diameter gradually decreasing toward the movable partition so that the orifice area is decreased as the movable partition is displaced away from the stationary partition.

Abstract: A duo mode gas hydraulic shock absorbing landing gear strut with a pneumatic spring in combination with a hydraulic fluid controlling orifice for touchdown and automatic means for changing mode after touchdown to impart new pneumatic spring characteristics and to provide duo paths for controlling hydraulic fluid flow.

Abstract: A hydraulic shock absorber including inner and outer tubes telescopically fitted together and an orifice variable in response to relative movement of the inner and outer tubes. A large diameter tubular holder is disposed coaxially around an upper portion of the outer tube to provide a space between the outer tube and the holder, the space being divided by a tubular partition membrane disposed coaxially in the space into a high-pressure gas chamber located outside of the membrane and a low-pressure gas chamber located inside of the membrane and communicating with an upper space within the outer tube. The shock absorber is of the hydraulically and pneumatically operated type, is simple in structure, and can be assembled with ease while maintaining a desired degree of performance.

Abstract: A shock absorber has a body with a bore and a secondary chamber housing a preloaded floating piston. An apertured piston and rod assembly with a float valve is retracted in the bore when the piston rod extending from the body is engaged by a moving body to be decelerated and smoothly stopped. A variable orifice head in the bore bleeds liquid through a series of passages to a return chamber which communicates with a hollow metering pin. This pin directs liquid through the piston and through outlets into a secondary chamber whose floating piston retracts against a spring as the chamber fills with liquid. This maintains a preload pressure upon the liquid in the bore and pressure chamber. The metering pin is tapered and is loosely received by the piston. When a load is axially applied to the piston rod retracting the pressure piston into the preloaded liquid within the body the liquid initially flows between the piston and metering pin.

Abstract: A direct acting hydraulic shock absorber having an improved assembly for mounting (1) one end of a fluid metering element with an end of the inner tubular member of the shock absorber adjacent the lower end closure fixed thereto and (2) the compression and replenishing valve mechanisms in hydraulic fluid flow control relation between the reservoir space and the compression space of the shock absorber. The assembly comprises a lower annular wall member mounted adjacent the lower end closure having a lower surface disposed in fluid communicating relation with the reservoir space, a central recess formed in an upper surface, and a pair of openings spaced from the recess extending from the upper surface to the lower surface, within which the replenishing valve mechanism and compression valve mechanism are mounted. A ball is fixed to one end of the fluid metering element and is seated within the recess.

Abstract: A frame is vertically movable, the frame being arranged to carry out a full troke to pick up still standing bowling pins and a partial stroke to place pins on the surface of a bowling alley; to control the length of the stroke, and provide for soft stopping of the frame at the terminal end of its stroke, a stroke control and limit lever is selectively positionable in interfering relation with respect to the downward movement of the frame. The interference position of the control and limit lever is externally controllable, for example by a electromagnet or solenoid, the lever being further connected to a hydraulic dashpot. When in interfering position, the frame, upon its downward stroke, impinges on the control and limit lever which can deflect, the dashpot gradually braking the downward movement until the deflection limit of the limit lever is reached, for example at the end position of the dashpot.

Abstract: The damping coefficient and spring constant of shock absorbing struts for commercial jet aircraft landing gears are selected to allow optimum absorption of forces on the landing gears at touchdown for an aircraft that has been descending at the maximum permissible "sinkrate" (descent rate immediately prior to touchdown). When so selected, the shock absorbing struts are unable to effectively dampen vertical oscillations of the aircraft body ensuing from a downward plunging of the weight of the aircraft due to the deployment of lift spoilers immediately after touchdown.

Abstract: A front fork for suspending a front wheel of a motorcycle has an outer tube and an inner tube slidably accomodated therein. A pressure chamber is defined between the inner tube and a hollow rod and communicates with a lower chamber formed in the outer tube through a port formed in the inner tube, an anular recess formed in the inner tube, another port formed in the inner tube at the lower portion thereof and a selected one of a plurality of orifices of different diameters formed in a lock piston located in the inner tube. The lock piston is provided with an engaging member engageable with a bottom wall of the outer tube when the inner tube is caused to intrude into the outer tube by a maximum amount.

Abstract: A shock strut employing fluid as a damping medium and gas trapped in a primary chamber above the fluid as a spring is modified by adding a secondary chamber with an orificed inlet to the primary chamber above the normal fluid level. For low velocity deflections of the strut, the gas can pass freely through the orifice so that the effective volume into which the gas is compressed is enlarged thereby reducing the spring rate. For high velocity deflections, the orifice meters the passage of the gas to the secondary chamber so that a higher spring rate is momentarily present. On extreme deflections, the fluid level within the strut reaches the orifice which severely restricts flow therethrough to cause a second greatly increased spring rate for the gaseous spring which also is velocity sensitive.

Abstract: A ship in which a string of heavy pipe is raised or lowered vertically beneath the ship at a substantially constant velocity in spite of heaving movement of the ship. The equipment for raising and lowering the pipe string is supported by the vessel through a heave compensation mechanism that permits vertical movement of the ship relative to the pipe raising and lowering mechanism. The heave compensation mechanism is a passive damped pneumatic-hydraulic spring system for isolating the vertical movement of the ship from the pipe raising and lowering equipment. The spring system operates over a very wide range of load imposed by the raising, lowering and supporting of a very long heavy pipe string.

Abstract: A shock absorber having a piston movable against a head of fluid under externally applied loads transmitted through a hollow piston rod. The piston has a valve surrounding a hollow metering pin defining a primary orifice and an auxiliary orifice, adjustable in size, is formed in the housing for augmenting the primary orifice area. The hollow metering pin provides a passage establishing communication between the auxiliary orifice and an accumulating reservoir located within the hollow piston rod. A fluid circulating system is provided for returning displaced fluid and for dissipating the heat generated in such fluid.

Abstract: The shock absorber is of the type comprising a cylinder and piston containing hydraulic fluid and wherein the piston has fluid bypass holes so that fluid can pass from one side of the piston to the other within the cylinder. Tapered pins at one end of the cylinder are receivable in the fluid bypass holes when the piston approaches the one end. A cage assembly in the form of guide rods supports the pins and passes through guide bores in the piston so that the pins and piston rotate as a unit and the pins are always held in alignment with the fluid bypass holes.