Fluid-filled cylindrical elastic mount having a protective member extending through a void

Claim 1

A fluid-filled cylindrical elastic mount for flexibly connecting a load member to a support structure, comprising: an inner sleeve attached to one of said load member and said support structure; an outer sleeve attached to the other of said load member and said support structure, and disposed radially outwardly of said inner sleeve with a predetermined radial spacing therebetween; an elastic body interposed between said inner and outer sleeves for elastically connecting said inner and outer sleeves, said elastic body having at least one pressure-receiving chamber formed therein; means for defining a void formed between said inner and outer sleeves so as to extend in said axial direction of said sleeves; a closure member having a flexible portion which cooperates with said outer sleeve to define a variable-volume equilibrium chamber and said void; a non-compressible fluid which fills said equilibrium chamber and said pressure-receiving chamber; means for defining a restricted passage which communicates with said at least one pressure-receiving chamber and said equilibrium chamber; and a protective member fixedly provided on said inner sleeve for movement with said inner sleeve, said protective member being inserted through said void so as to elastically deform said closure member toward said outer sleeve before the elastic mount is attached to said load member, said protective member and said closure member being dimensioned and shaped so as to define therebetween a predetermined amount of gap for permitting said flexible portion of said closure member to be displaced so as to change a volume of said equilibrium chamber, after the elastic mount is attached to said load member.