Variable friction tuning for shock absorption

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10670104-B2
Application number	US-201715490794-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 18, 2017
Priority date	Apr 18, 2017
Publication date	Jun 2, 2020
Grant date	Jun 2, 2020

Abstract

An exemplary shock absorber includes a damper tube, a damper piston, a piston shaft, and at least two different surface treatments. The damper tube includes an interior surface. The damper piston includes a piston surface that engages the interior surface. The piston shaft couples with the damper piston and includes a shaft surface that engages a fourth surface. The at least two different surface treatments are disposed on at least one of the interior surface and the shaft surface and create a corresponding plurality of coefficients of friction with at least one of the piston surface and the fourth surface respectively.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A fluid damper shock absorber, comprising:
a damper tube including an interior surface;
a damper piston including a piston surface that engages the interior surface; said piston surface further comprised of:
a wear band disposed around an outer circumference of said damper piston; and
said piston surface including an exterior surface of the wear band;
a first surface treatment at a first end of the interior surface of the damper tube having a first coefficient of friction with the piston surface when the damper piston is moving in a first direction and a second coefficient of friction with the piston surface, different from the first coefficient of friction, when the damper piston is moving in a second direction; and
a second surface treatment adjacent the first surface treatment having a third coefficient of friction with the piston surface that is greater than the first coefficient of friction.

2. The shock absorber of claim 1 , wherein the surface treatments include a third surface treatment adjacent the second surface treatment having a fourth coefficient of friction with the piston surface that is greater than the third coefficient of friction.

3. The shock absorber of claim 1 , wherein the surface treatments include a third surface treatment adjacent the second surface treatment having a fourth coefficient of friction with the piston surface that is greater than the third coefficient of friction, said third surface treatment comprised of a coating treatment.

4. The shock absorber of claim 1 , wherein the first surface treatment and said second surface treatment are comprised of a coating treatment.

Assignees

• Fox Factory Inc

Inventors

• Wittenschlaeger Thomas

Classifications

• F16F7/085

  resulting in the damping effects being different according to direction of movement · CPC title

• F16F2222/12

  Fluid damping · CPC title

• F16F2226/023

  by laser or similar treatment by rays · CPC title

• F16F9/362

  Combination of sealing and guide arrangements for piston rods (F16F9/361, F16F9/365 take precedence) · CPC title

• F16F9/48 Primary

  Arrangements for providing different damping effects at different parts of the stroke ({F16F9/346, F16F9/516} , F16F9/53 take precedence) · CPC title