How shock absorbers work

Shock Absorber. In the suspension system, vibration occurs due to the impact of the elastic element. In order to improve the ride comfort of the vehicle, shock absorber is installed in parallel with the elastic element in the suspension to attenuate the vibration. The shock absorber used in the automobile suspension system is the hydraulic shock absorber, its working principle is: when the frame (or body) and the relative motion between the axle vibration, the Piston in the shock absorber moves up and down, the oil in the shock absorber chamber will repeatedly flow from a cavity through different pores into another cavity. At this time, the friction between the hole wall and the oil and the internal friction between the oil molecules form a damping force on the vibration, so that the vibration energy of the vehicle is converted into the heat energy of the oil, and then absorbed into the atmosphere by the shock absorber. When the oil channel section factor is constant, the damping force increases or decreases with the relative motion speed between the frame and the axle (or the wheel), and is related to the oil viscosity.

Shock absorber and elastic components undertake the task of mitigating impact and damping, damping force is too large, will make the suspension elasticity deteriorates, and even damage the shock absorber connector. Therefore to adjust the elastic element and shock absorber this contradiction.

· In the compression stroke (axle and frame close to each other), the damping force of the shock absorber is small, so as to give full play to the elastic role of the elastic element and mitigate the impact. At this point, the elastic element plays a major role.

· In suspension stretch travel (the axle and frame are far away from each other), the damping force of the shock absorber is large to reduce the vibration quickly.

· When the relative speed between the axle (or wheel) and the axle is too large, the damper is required to automatically increase the liquid flow, so that the damping force is always kept within a certain limit, so as to avoid excessive impact load.

In the automobile suspension system is widely used in the cylinder shock absorber, and in the compression and stretch travel can be used in damping, so called two-way acting shock absorber. Some cars use new shock absorbers, such as inflatable shock absorbers and resistance adjustable shock absorbers.