Impact vibration damper and control means therefor

Claim 1

A VIBRATION DAMPER COMPRISING A CASING ADAPTED FOR ATTACHMENT TO A BODY SUBJECT TO VIBRATIONS, A REACTIVE MASS SLIDABLY FITTED WITHIN SAID CASING, SAID MASS HAVING A CENTRAL PASSAGE THERETHROUGH, MOUNTING MEANS SECURED TO SAID CASING, VALVE MEANS RESILIENTLY POSITIONED ON SAID MOUNTING MEANS ON EITHER SIDE OF SAID REACTIVE MASS IN SPACED APART RELATION WITH RESPECT TO THE END WALLS OF SAID CASING, SAID VALVE MEANS EACH BEING ADAPTED TO CLOSE OFF ONE END OF SAID CENTRAL PASSAGE WHEN SAID REACTIVE MASS SLIDES AGAINST THE VALVE MEANS, CONTROL MEANS FOR VARYING THE DISTANCE BETWEEN SAID VALVE MEANS IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE AMPLITUDE OF VIBRATIONS TO WHICH SAID BODY IS SUBJECTED, SAID CONTROL MEANS INCLUDING SHUT-OFF MEANS FIXED TO SAID MOUNTING MEANS, PORTS IN SAID SHUT-OFF MEANS FOR PASSAGE OF FLUID THERETHROUGH AND MEANS FOR PERIODICALLY CLOSING OFF SAID PORTS, HOLLOW VALVE POSITIONING MEANS FITTED IN GAS-TIGHT RELATION ABOUT SAID SHUT-OFF MEANS, A HOLLOW CYLINDER FITTED WITHIN SAID CENTRAL PASSAGE, EXTENSION MEANS ON SAID SHUT-OFF, MEANS SLIDABLY EXTENDING INTO EITHER END OF SAID CYLINDER AND A HEAVY MASS SLIDABLY FITTED WITHIN SAID CYLINDER AND RESILIENTLY CONNECTED TO SAID EXTENSION MEANS, MEANS WHEREBY MOVEMENT OF SAID PISTONS INTO SAID HOLLOW CYLINDER WILL DISPLACE FLUID THEREIN AND CAUSE SAID HOLLOW CYLINDER TO MOVE RELATIVE TO SAID HEAVY MASS TOWARD SAID VALVE POSITIONING MEANS AND WHEREBY CONTACT OF SAID HOLLOW CYLINDER WITH ONE OF THE VALVE POSITIONING MEANS WILL CAUSE MOVEMENT OF ITS ASSOCIATED VALVE TOWARD THE END WALL OF SAID CASING AND ENTRANCE OF FLUID BETWEEN SAID SHUT-OFF MEANS AND SAID VALVE POSITIONING MEANS THROUGH SAID PORTS WILL RESULT IN RETENTION OF THE VALVE POSITIONING MEANS UNTIL THESE MEANS ARE AGAIN MOVED BY SAID HOLLOW CYLINDER.