Hydropneumatic oleopneumatic vehicle suspension element

Claim 1

An oleopneumatic vehicle suspension element particularly adapted for use with a heavy vehicle, comprising: a cylinder, a piston movable in the cylinder, a gas accumulator connected to the cylinder and containing a flexible diaphragm separating a gas and a liquid within the accumultor, a liquid flow restricting shock absorber cartridge disposed between the piston and the diaphragm and within said liquid, and means for cooling the cartridge and thus said liquid to adjust a ground clearance of a vehicle, said means for cooling the cartridge comprising means defining a cold source, a caloduct comprising an onobstructed, elongate, bidirectionally traversable fluid conduit closed at opposite ends, one of said ends being connected to the shock absorber cartridge, which forms a hot source, and another of said ends being disposed in heat exchanging communication with said cold source, and a gas contained in said caloduct capable of evaporating upon contact with the cartridge, then naturally rising to said cold source where it is condensed, and then returning to the cartridge for repeated evaporation in a continuous cyclic manner, the cold source being disposed above the cartridge to implement the gravity return of the condensed gas, wherein the means defining said cold source is on of a chassis of the vehicle and an external wall of the suspension device.