----- Original Message -----
From: "ASHISH RIKHIE" <ashish_rikhie@xxxxxxxxxxx>
> can u please send me something about the shock absorber in technical terms
&
> how it works?
> Ashish Rikhie
If you have ever used an old fashioned tire pump to inflate your bicycle
tire, you know how a shock absorber works. Take that tire pump and fill it
with oil, then take the outlet hose and connect it so that it pumps the oil
back into the top of the tube. Feel (or imagine) the resistance to motion
when you try to pump it - it will go down while you push on it, and stay
where you leave it when you quit pushing. A shock absorber is exactly the
same device, with a slight modification to the valving so that it operates
in either direction. By adjusting the flow restriction (either an orifice,
or in our example, the diameter of the hose) you can adjust the amount of
force needed to move the handle. The flow restriction orifice on a car may
be different in each direction - this is a design factor considered by the
suspension engineer.
As you can imagine, just like the air pump, they tend to get hot when used
vigorously - this makes the selection of oil important, and in some
sophisticated designs, the orifice changes with temperature also (firming up
the ride on rough surfaces for better control.)
Some luxury cars of the 30s (Packard, Pierce Arrow, Studebaker Land Cruiser)
had adjustable orifices, the first two were driver controlled - so you could
select the ride firmness for the conditions you expected to encounter. A
wonderful and very effective idea - too expensive though, I guess.
Enough? I could go on, if you wish.
Dick Benjamin
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