A shock absorber, comprising:
- a hollow outer cylinder having an open and a closed end;
- a hollow inner cylinder having an open and a closed end, the open end thereof being inserted into the open end of the outer cylinder;
- a guide member for guiding the inner cylinder slidably in the outer cylinder in the axial direction of the cylinders;
- a first annular plate having a first annular surface and an opposing second annular surface, said first annular plate being abutted against the open end of said inner cylinder at the first surface thereof;
- a shearable stop plate in the form of an annulus, said stop plate having a first annular surface and an opposing second annular surface, and being abutted against an inner periphery of the second surface of the first annular plate at an outer periphery of the first surface thereof;
- a second annular plate having a first annular surface and an opposing second annular surface, said second annular plate having a slightly smaller outer diameter than the inner diameter of said first annular plate, and being abutted against an inner periphery of the second surface of the stop plate at an outer periphery of the first surface thereof;
- a cylindrical damping force generating member for generating a damping force, said damping force generating member having a first end face abutted against the second surface of said second annular plate, a second end face opposing the first end face, and an axially penetrating orifice at a radially central portion thereof so as to throttle the flow of hydraulic fluid from a chamber in the outer cylinder to a chamber in the inner cylinder, the penetrating orifice of the damping force generating member being smaller than apertures of said first and second annular plates and of said stop plate;
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- a tubular supporting member fixed to the inner cylinder near the open end thereof, said supporting member presenting an axial bore penetrating said supporting member and adapted for receiving said damping force generating member and said second annular plate therewithin, such that said damping force generating member and said second annular plate may be axially guided toward said stop plate, and said supporting member having an annular end face at its inner periphery abutted against the outer periphery of the second surface of said stop plate so as to hold an outer periphery of said stop plate in cooperation with said first annular plate, such that the stop plate is adapted in such a manner that, when an impact shock given to the shock absorber to contract it is not greater than a predetermined magnitude, the stop plate retains the damping force generating member in the axial bore of the supporting member at the inner periphery of the second surface of said stop plate against a force not greater than a predetermined magnitude axially exerted to the damping force generating member in response to the shock, and that, when an impact shock given to the shock absorber to contract it is greater than the predetermined magnitude, the stop plate is sheared off in a generally circular shape at a portion between the held outer periphery which is supported by said first annular plate at the first face of the stop plate and an inner periphery by a force greater than the predetermined magnitude axially exerted on the inner periphery of the second surface of said stop plate from the damping force generating member through said second annular plate in response to the shock, such that the damping force generating member is detached from the axial bore of the supporting member and moved into the inner cylinder permitting the hydraulic fluid in the chamber of the outer cylinder to flow substantially freely into the chamber of the inner cylinder through the penetrating bore of the supporting member.