Hydraulic Damper With A Piston Rod Protective Tube

A hydraulic damper for a motor vehicle comprising:

• a damper tube, inside of which a piston assembly is slidably disposed and attached to an internal end of a piston rod, which is led outside said damper tube through a sealed piston rod guide;
• a substantially tubular protective cap comprising a cylindrical section surrounding said piston rod guide, an openwork section surrounding a portion of said tube and further having an axial end distant from said piston rod guide;
• an at least partially axially elastic protective tube surrounding said piston rod and said openwork section and having a first axial end attached to said axial end of said protective cap that is distant from said piston rod guide;
• said protective cap being a unitary plastic component and further having an annular flange provided with a locking means enabling it to attach to said first axial end of said protective tube;
• said openwork section comprising a plurality of spaced axial ribs which join said cylindrical section to said annular flange, said axial ribs separated by axial slots, a plurality of auxiliary ribs joining said axial ribs, wherein an annular area of said axial slots is larger than a total annular area of said axial ribs and said auxiliary ribs combined;
• and
• said cylindrical section and said openwork section axial ribs and auxiliary ribs adjoined to said damper tube.