Damper assembly

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12253138-B2
Application number	US-202217838848-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 13, 2022
Priority date	Jun 13, 2022
Publication date	Mar 18, 2025
Grant date	Mar 18, 2025

Abstract

A damper assembly includes a pressure tube forming a chamber, a piston assembly disposed in the chamber and dividing the chamber into two subchambers, and a piston rod fixed to the piston assembly. The piston assembly includes a body having an inner bore extending axially through the body. The piston assembly includes a blowoff disc contacting the body at the inner bore and having a throughhole aligned with the inner bore. The piston rod extends through and concentrically contacts the inner bore and the throughhole. The body has a groove extending axially along a length of the inner bore. The groove and the piston rod form a passageway permitting fluid to travel across the body. The blowoff disc has a notch extending from the throughhole and arranged to permit fluid from the passageway to pass across the blowoff disc.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A damper assembly comprising:
a pressure tube forming a chamber and defining an axis;
a piston assembly disposed in the chamber and dividing the chamber into two subchambers; and
a piston rod elongated along the axis and fixed to the piston assembly;
the piston assembly including a body having an inner bore extending axially through the body from a first end to a second end;
the piston assembly including a blowoff disc contacting the body at the first end of the inner bore and having a throughhole aligned with the inner bore;
the piston rod extending through and concentrically contacting the inner bore and extending through and concentrically contacting the throughhole;
one of the body or the piston rod having a groove extending axially along the inner bore from the first end to the second end;
the body and the piston rod forming a passageway through the groove permitting fluid to travel between the first end and the second end;
the blowoff disc having a notch extending from the throughhole and arranged to permit fluid from the passageway to pass across the blowoff disc;
the body having a first side facing axially toward the blowoff disc;
the first side including a center axial projection extending concentrically around the inner bore and contacting the blowoff disc; and
the notch extending radially outward past an outer diameter of the center axial projection.

2. The damper assembly of claim 1 , wherein the body includes a lip at the first end of the inner bore permitting fluid to travel between the passageway and the notch.

3. The damper assembly of claim 2 , wherein the lip extends completely around the first end of the inner bore.

4. The damper assembly of claim 1 , wherein the body has a plurality of grooves including the groove, the grooves extend axially along the inner bore from the first end to the second end, and the grooves are circumferentially spaced from each other.

5. The damper assembly of claim 1 , wherein the blowoff disc has a plurality of notches including the notch, the notches extend from the throughhole, and the notches are circumferentially spaced from each other.

6. The damper assembly of claim 1 , wherein the body includes a throughbore extending through the body and permitting fluid to flow between the subchambers, and the throughbore is spaced from the inner bore.

7. The damper assembly of claim 6 , wherein a cross-sectional area of the throughbore is greater than a cross-sectional area of the notch.

8. The damper assembly of claim 6 , wherein the body includes a plurality of throughbores including the throughbore, the throughbores each permit fluid to flow between the subchambers, the throughbores are spaced from the inner bore, and the throughbores are spaced from each other.

9. The damper assembly of claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of valve discs stacked on the blowoff disc such that the blowoff disc is axially between the valve discs and the body.

10. The damper assembly of claim 9 , further comprising a fulcrum disc abutting the valve discs such that the valve discs are axially between the fulcrum disc and the body.

11. The damper assembly of claim 10 , wherein an outer diameter of the fulcrum disc is smaller than any of the outer diameters of the valve discs.

12. The damper assembly of claim 10 , wherein the piston rod extends through the valve discs and the fulcrum disc.

13. The damper assembly of claim 9 , further comprising a preload ring positioned axially between the valve discs and the blowoff disc.

14. The damper assembly of claim 13 , wherein an inner diameter of the preload ring is smaller than an outer diameter of a closest disc of the valve discs, and the inner diameter of the preload ring is smaller than an outer diameter of the blowoff disc.

15. The damper assembly of claim 13 , wherein an outer diameter of the preload ring is at least as great as an outer diameter of a closest disc of the valve discs.

16. The damper assembly of claim 1 , wherein the pressure tube is cylindrical.

17. The damper assembly of claim 1 , wherein the first side includes a plurality of peripheral axial projections radially spaced from the center axial projection, and the peripheral axial projections contact the blowoff disc.

18. The damper assembly of claim 17 , wherein the blowoff disc includes a cutout positioned radially outside the center axial projection and radially inside the peripheral axial projections.

Assignees

• Driv Automotive Inc

Inventors

• Montagna Franky

Classifications

• F16F2222/12

  Fluid damping · CPC title

• F16F9/3487

  with spacers or spacing rings · CPC title

• B60G13/06

  of fluid type · CPC title

• F16F9/3405

  Throttling passages in or on piston body, e.g. slots (F16F9/344, F16F9/3481 take precedence) · CPC title

• F16F9/3481 Primary

  characterised by shape or construction of throttling passages in piston (F16F9/344 takes precedence) · CPC title