Valve assembly

A valve assembly for an exhaust system, the valve assembly comprising:

• a conduit defining an exhaust passageway therein;
• a valve flap disposed within the exhaust passageway for controlling exhaust flow through the exhaust passageway;
• a shaft supporting the valve flap in the exhaust passageway for rotation about a pivot axis;
• and
• a mass damper disposed external to the conduit and coupled to the shaft such that the mass damper rotates with the shaft about the pivot axis, the mass damper including:
• a longitudinal segment coupled to the shaft, the longitudinal segment further extending between a first end and a second end along a centerline axis;
• a first damping mass disposed proximal to the first end of the longitudinal segment, wherein the first damping mass is linearly movable along the centerline axis to a first distance with respect to the pivot axis, wherein the first damping mass is further fixedly coupled to the longitudinal segment at the first distance;
• and
• a second damping mass disposed proximal to the second end of the longitudinal segment, wherein the second damping mass is linearly movable along the centerline axis to a second distance with respect to the pivot axis, wherein the second damping mass is further fixedly coupled to the longitudinal segment at the second distance.