Piston assembly having an outer skirt and a spaced inner core

A hydraulic shock absorber having a reciprocable piston assembly mounted at the end of a piston rod and comprising:

• a piston body having a generally cylindrical outer skirt and a generally cylindrical inner core, said core being provided with a central bore adapted for mounting said piston body on said end of the piston rod, a plurality of means in said piston body for integrally joining said inner core to said outer skirt and defining between each other, a plurality of passages for hydraulic fluid through said piston body;
• a flat annular bearing washer mounted on said end of the piston rod between said piston body and a shoulder of said piston rod and having an outer diameter greater than the outer diameter of said inner core;
• means defining a double-acting floating valve comprising at least one flat annular disk mounted with a given prestress, the outer position of said valve being adapted to bear against a circumferential bearing surface of said outer skirt and the inner portion of said valve being adapted to bear upon an outer portion of said bearing washer;
• a flat centering annular washer mounted on said end of the piston rod between said piston body and said bearing washer, surrounded by said annular disk of the floating valve, said centering washer having an outer diameter less than the outer diameter of said bearing washer;
• and
• said bearing surface comprising a plurality of bearing portions located substantially in registry with each of said hydraulic fluid passages in said piston body, each of said bearing portions in registry with each of said passages having unequal radial dimensions relative to the corresponding hydraulic fluid passage and providing a valve seat for the outer portion of the floating valve.