Adjustable shock absorber

In an adjustable energy absorber comprising a body member having a cylinder cavity therein formed about an axis, a piston movably mounted in said cylinder cavity, a reservior cavity and means providing an adjustable flow metering duct from the cylinder cavity to the reservoir cavity, the improvement comprising:

• said body having an exterior face generally surrounding said cylinder cavity;
• a sleeve surrounding said face and in annular contact with said body in two planes spaced along said axis and transverse thereto, said sleeve being rotatable with respect to the body about an axis generally parallel to said cylinder cavity axis and having an inner face, said inner face being spaced from said exterior face to define said reservoir cavity therebetween;
• said means comprising a projection means extending radially through said reservoir cavity from one of said faces to contact the other of said faces with parts of said reservoir circumferentially at each side of said projection means, said projection means being fixed in position with respect to the one face and having an opening therethrough in communication with one of said cavities, said other face being annular about said rotational axis and having a generally circumferential slot therein which is, at at least most positions of rotation of said sleeve, overlapping a part of said projection opening to permit fluid communication between the opening and the slot, said slot being in communication with the other of said cavities whereby communication is established between said cavities through said slot and projection opening and the overlap therebetween to form said duct, and means for varying the cross-sectional size of a part of the duct at said other face in response to the varied rotational position of the sleeve on the body.