Hydraulic damper for vehicles with variable orifice piston valving for varying damping force
A hydraulic damping unit is described for controlling the spring action of vehicle suspension springs comprising a cylinder tube having a hydraulic fluid therein, a valved piston having a generally cylindrical body mounted for linear stroking movement in the cylinder tube and hydraulically separating the cylinder tube into first and second chambers, valve means within the body of the piston for controlling the flow of hydraulic fluid between the chambers through the piston, a piston rod connected directly to the body of the piston and extending to the exterior of the damping unit, a rotatable actuator operatively mounted in the piston rod. The valve means consists of an orifice plate fixed within the body of the piston having a plurality of hydraulic fluid flow controlling orifices therethrough, first and second deflectable spring disk means mounted on opposite sides of the orifice plate operatively associated with the orifices providing primary control of the damping force of the unit, fastener means extending through the orifice plate and the first and second disk means within the body of the piston, separate and varying size fluid flow passages extended through the fastener means in parallel with the orifices. The fastener means a head portion within the body of the piston, a selector plate rotatably mounted on the head portion and having a selector opening therein selectively registrable with any of the passages, means operatively connecting the selector plate to the actuator for rotation thereby so that any of the fluid flow passages can be selected for varying the damping action of the unit.
- Assignee:
- General Motors Corp., Detroit, MI
- Patent Number(s):
- US 4685545
- OSTI ID:
- 6092110
- Resource Relation:
- Patent File Date: Filed date 31 Jul 1986
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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