US 5,398,789 AGranted

Method of making a vibration damper and a vibration damper and a method for producing a container tube-side tube unit of a vibration damper, a preproduct and an intermediate product for this vibration damper

AssigneeFichtel & Sachs AG

InventorGonther Handke

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Abstract

A casing for a vibration damper of a motor-vehicle comprises a container tube and a side tube with the side tube axis being substantially transverse to the container tube axis. The side tube is shaped such as to accommodate a bypass valve the opening and closing of which effects a variation of the damping behaviour of the vibration damper. The side tube is made from a side tube preproduct which has a bottom wall and a contact face adapted to the radially outer circumferential surface of the container tube. The side tube is positioned on the radially outer circumferential surface of the container tube by positioning the contact face onto the radially outer circumferential surface of the container tube. Hereupon, the side tube is fastened by welding to the container tube along the circumference of the contact face. Hereupon, a connection passage is made between a cavity of the side tube and a cavity of the container tube.

Claims35

Dependent claims

A method for producing a vibration damper having a container tube-side tube unit, said container tube-side tube unit comprising a container tube having container tube wall means for defining a container tube cavity and having a container tube axis, said container tube side tube unit further comprising a side tube having side tube wall means for defining a side tube cavity and having a side tube axis, said side tube being fastened to said container tube with said side tube axis being substantially transverse to said container tube axis, said side tube cavity being connected to said container tube cavity through an opening of said container tube wall means, said side tube cavity and said opening confining a side tube cavity-opening space, said method comprising the following steps of assembling the vibration damper by:

providing a piston, a piston rod, and a working cylinder;
connecting the piston to the piston rod;
inserting the piston and the piston rod into the working cylinder;
providing a container tube preproduct having said container tube wall means with a radially outer circumferential surface about said container tube axis;
providing a side tube preproduct, said side tube preproduct having contact face means for being applied to said radially outer circumferential surface of said container tube preproduct;
positioning said side tube preproduct on said container tube preproduct with said contact face means of said side tube preproduct being engaged with said radially outer circumferential surface of said container tube preproduct;
fastening said side tube preproduct to said container tube preproduct by a welding operation;
forming said side tube cavity-opening space;
and
disposing the container tube about a portion of the piston rod.

7 more elements

A vibration damper formed from a container tube-side tube unit, said container tube-side tube unit comprising a container tube having container tube wall means for defining a container tube cavity and having a container tube axis, said container tube-side tube unit further comprising a side tube having side tube wall means for defining a side tube cavity and having a side tube axis, said side tube being fastened to said container tube with said side tube axis being substantially transverse to said container tube axis, said side tube cavity being connected to said container tube cavity through an opening of said container tube wall means, said side tube cavity and said opening defining a side tube cavity-opening space, said vibration damper comprising a chamber surrounded by said container tube, said chamber containing a damping fluid;

said vibration damper further comprising:
a piston rod sealingly projecting into said chamber and being axially displaceable within said chamber, and a piston being attached to said piston rod, said piston being slidably disposed within said chamber to divide said chamber into first and second chambers;
said container tube-side tube unit having been formed by fastening a side tube preproduct to said container tube and by subsequent processing of said container tube and of said side tube preproduct, said container tube wall means having a radially outer surface and a radially inner surface, said radially outer surface being disposed further away from said container tube axis than is said radially inner surface;
said side tube preproduct having comprised during assembly:
a lateral wall, a bottom wall and a contact surface, said contact surface having been disposed adjacent said bottom wall during assembly;
said contact surface having been configured during assembly to make contact with said container tube and to conform to said radially outer surface of said container tube wall means.

3 more elements

A vibration damper formed from an intermediate product of a container tube-side tube unit, said container tube-side tube unit comprising a container tube having container tube wall means for defining a container tube cavity and having a container tube axis, said container tube-side tube unit further comprising a side tube having side tube wall means for defining a side tube cavity and having a side tube axis, said side tube being fastened to said container tube with said side tube axis being substantially transverse to said container tube axis, said side tube cavity being connected to said container tube cavity through an opening of said container tube wall means, said side tube cavity and said opening defining a side tube cavity-opening space, said container tube wall means having a radially outer surface and a radially inner surface, said radially outer surface being disposed further away from said container tube axis than is said radially inner surface, said intermediate product having comprised, during assembly, a container tube preproduct and a side tube preproduct, said side tube preproduct having been welded onto said container tube preproduct during assembly, said side tube preproduct having comprised, during assembly, a bottom wall adjacent said radially outer surface of said container tube wall means, said container tube wall means having been substantially closed during assembly in an area overlapping with said bottom wall;

said vibration damper comprising a chamber surrounded by said container tube, said chamber containing a damping fluid;
said vibration damper further comprising:
a piston rod sealingly projecting into said chamber and being axially displaceable with within said chamber and a piston being attached to said piston rod, said piston being slidably disposed within said chamber to sealingly divide said chamber into first and second chambers.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.