US 4,305,486 AGranted

Dual damping control valve shock absorber

AssigneeInterpart Corporation

InventorArnold A. Cowan

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Abstract

A shock absorber, in an exemplary embodiment, especially adaptable for use on motorcycles and the like vehicles, wherein the shock absorber utilizes a piston member having at least a compression and rebound orifices through which fluid flows, and wherein first and second metering rods are selectively positionable into and out of the compression and rebound orifices respectively control the rate of fluid flow therethrough so as to vary the compression and rebound modes of the shock absorber. The metering rods take the form of co-axial, concentric, needle-like valves extending within a hollow shaft, or the piston rod, wherein each of the metering rods is independently and selectively manipulable and adjustable from an external position of the shock absorber thereby allowing selective manipulation of fluid flow through the piston of the shock absorber, depending upon end results desired with regard to shock absorber function.

Claims9

Dependent claims

In a shock absorber having a pressure tube with a reciprocable piston therein wherein a hollow piston rod extends from said piston to a terminal portion of said shock absorber adapted to be attached to an unsprung mass, said piston having a primary fluid passageway through which fluid flows through during a compression stroke and a secondary passageway through which said fluid flows during a rebound stroke, said fluid flow taking place from one side of said piston to the other, the improvement which comprises:

a first metering means for selectively metering fluid flow through said piston during the compression mode and a second metering means for selectively metering fluid flow through said piston during the rebound mode, said first and second metering means being externally adjustable so as to vary the rate of fluid flow through said piston, said first and second metering means being disposed within said hollow piston rod and being coaxially and concentrically disposed with respect to each other, said first metering means having an axial bore and being shiftably movable into and out of a central orifice within said piston through which fluid flows during the compression stroke of said piston, and said second metering means being shiftably movable within said first metering means into and out of a central orifice within said piston through which fluid flows during the rebound stroke of said piston.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.