Shock absorber and mounting means therefor

Claim 1

A shock absorber comprising: (a) an outer tube which is enclosed at one end and open at the other end; (b) an inner tube mounted in the outer tube, through the open other end of the outer tube, and having an enclosed inner end disposed against the enclosed end of the outer tube and being open at its outer end; (c) a piston assembly extended into the outer tube open end and being slidably mounted in the open outer end of the inner tube; (d) said piston assembly including a piston rod having an impact receiving button on the outer end thereof for receiving loads to be decelerated; (e) an accumulator chamber formed interior of said outer tube and between said inner tube and outer tube; (f) a plurality of longitudinally spaced metering orifices forming through said inner tube and communicating said inner tube with said chamber; (g) a meter tube rotatably mounted in said outer tube and about said inner tube engageable with the inner tube for retaining it against axial movement in the outer tube, and provided with a plurality of metering openings for regulating the flow of fluid through said metering orifices in the inner tube during a load deceleration operation; (h) an inner tube lock member mounted in said enclosed end of the outer tube and engageable with the inner tube for retaining the inner tube against rotation in the outer tube; (i) a rotatable retainer member detachably mounted in said open other end of the outer tube and having said piston rod slidably mounted therethrough; (j) a meter tube adjusting ring rotatably mounted about the outer periphery of said outer tube; (k) means extended through said outer tube for connecting said adjusting ring to said rotatable retainer member in said outer tube; (l) means mounted between the rotatable retainer member and said meter tube for axially retaining the meter tube in its operative position; (m) fluid passageway means interconnecting said accumulator chamber and the open end of said inner tube; and, (n) means in said outer tube for admitting hydraulic fluid into said accumulator chamber, fluid passageway means and inner tube, whereby when the piston assembly is moved inwardly of said inner tube, when an impact load is received by said piston assembly, the fluid in the inner tube is forced through the metering orifices in the inner tube and through the metering holes in the meter tube and into said accumulator chamber and through said fluid passageway means and into the open end of the inner tube behind the piston assembly, and when the piston assembly is moved outwardly of said inner tube after said impact load is decelerated, the fluid in the open end of the inner tube is forced from the open end of the inner tube and back through the fluid passageway means and through the accumulator chamber and through said metering holes and orifices and into the inner tube in front of the piston assembly.