Sleeved Shock Absorber

The concept here is to have a shock absorber that is simple to manufacture and yet can have a variable area orifice for a desired fluid restriction along the entire travel of the piston. This will allow having a lower restriction in the mid position of the shock absorber range allowing for a smoother, quieter vehicle ride when traveling on evenly paved road surfaced. When a rough uneven road surface is encountered and the shock absorber travels further, the effective orifice area changes to accommodate the rapid change. This prevents a hard bottoming of the shock absorber by a continuous restriction the fluid channel as the piston nears the end of stroke.

This is accomplished by having a simple sleeve made from a flat sheet. The sheet is rolled to form a split tube. The ends of the sheet forming the gap of the tube are trimmed with the appropriate geometry then simply rolled and inserted into the outer shell of the shock absorber. This now forms the inner cylinder of the shock absorber. The piston & rod are then assembled and inserted. The shock absorber is filled with the appropriate fluid, the end cap is tightened in place and the unit is charged with an inert gas. The unit is easily repairable.

Terry Potter