CN219119697U - Shock absorber, suspension system and car - Google Patents

Abstract

The embodiment of the application provides a shock absorber, a suspension system and an automobile. The shock absorber comprises an upper supporting seat, a piston cylinder, an end cover and a dust cover. The upper supporting seat is provided with a first limiting part, the end cover is provided with a second limiting part, the dust cover comprises a first abutting part and a second abutting part, the first abutting part is sleeved on the upper supporting seat along a first direction and limited by the first limiting part to be clamped and positioned, and the second abutting part is sleeved on the end cover along a second direction and limited by the second limiting part to be clamped and positioned. Therefore, in this application embodiment, the dust cover can cup joint in last supporting seat and end cover with the situation, makes piston cylinder and end cover receive complete cladding and reach sealed effect, prevents external impurity (like silt or dust etc.) from getting into in the dust cover, avoids the piston cylinder to receive the damage.

Description

Shock absorber, suspension system and car

Technical Field

The present application relates to the field of dust covers for shock absorbers, and more particularly to a shock absorber, a suspension system, and an automobile.

Background

The suspension system is one of key systems in a vehicle and is responsible for supporting, damping, steering and other functions, and the shock absorber is used for being assembled on a shock absorber tower of the suspension system so as to buffer impact on the vehicle caused by road vibration during running. However, the dust cover of the conventional shock absorber is only fixed outside the upper support through the upper end, and the lower end is in an opening form, so that when the automobile runs on severe road conditions, sediment and dust easily directly enter the dust cover cavity from the lower end of the dust cover, are accumulated between the oil seal port of the shock absorber and the piston rod, and cause seal abrasion and poor sealing effect along with long-time reciprocating motion of the piston rod, and oil liquid also seeps out along with the dust cover.

Disclosure of Invention

The utility model provides a plurality of aspects provide a shock absorber, suspension and car, cup joint support frame and end cover respectively through dirt proof boot both ends, can block external pollution, silt or dust and get into piston cylinder and end cover, solve the oil seal of traditional shock absorber and the shortcoming of piling up silt and dust easily between the piston rod.

The embodiment of the application provides a shock absorber, including last supporting seat, piston cylinder, end cover and dust cover. The upper supporting seat is provided with a first limiting part; the piston cylinder comprises a piston rod and a cylinder body, one end of the piston rod is connected with the upper supporting seat, and the other end of the piston rod is movably arranged in the cylinder body; the end cover is sleeved on the piston rod and fixed on the cylinder body, and is provided with a second limiting part; the dust cover comprises a first butt joint part and a second butt joint part, wherein the first butt joint part is sleeved on the upper supporting seat along a first direction and blocked by the first limiting part in a second direction, and the second butt joint part is sleeved on the end cover along the second direction and blocked by the second limiting part in the first direction. Wherein, one of the first butt joint part and the first limit part is provided with a first guiding structure for guiding the first butt joint part to be sleeved on the upper supporting seat; one of the second butt joint part and the second limiting part is provided with a second guiding structure for guiding the second butt joint part to be sleeved on the end cover, and the first direction is opposite to the second direction.

In some embodiments, the upper support base includes a support and a base, the support is disposed at the top of the base, the first limiting portion is disposed around the outer peripheral surface of the base, and the first abutting portion is sleeved on the base.

In some embodiments, the first limiting portion includes a convex ring surrounding the outer peripheral surface, the first abutting portion includes a first port and a collar disposed on one side of the first port, and the collar and the convex ring are of a matched concave-convex structure. The caliber of the first port is larger than the outer diameter of the convex ring, the first guide structure is arranged in the first port in a surrounding mode, and inclines from the inner wall surface to the outer wall surface of the dust cover along the first direction so as to be in contact with one side of the convex ring and slide to the other side of the convex ring along the first direction, and the collar is guided to be sleeved on the convex ring.

In some embodiments, the first limiting portion further includes a groove surrounding the outer peripheral surface, and the first abutting portion further includes a buckle ring, the buckle ring is connected between the collar and the first guiding structure, and when the first guiding structure slides to the other side of the convex ring, the buckle ring is driven to be buckled in the groove.

In some embodiments, the second limiting portion is disposed on a side surface of the end cover, and a top surface of the second limiting portion is inclined from a side close to the side surface to a side far from the side surface along the second direction, so as to form the second guiding structure, and the second guiding structure is used for guiding the second abutting portion to be buckled with the second limiting portion. The second butt joint part comprises a second port, a peak structure and a trough structure, wherein the peak structure and the trough structure are connected with each other, the second port is sleeved on the end cover, the peak structure is contacted with the second guide structure, and the trough structure passes over the second guide structure and abuts against the second limiting part in the first direction.

In some embodiments, the number of the second limiting parts is plural, and the second limiting parts are arranged on the side surface at intervals along the circumferential direction of the end cover.

In some embodiments, the dust cap is composed of an elastomeric material and is expandable and contractible in a radial direction and stretchable and compressible in an axial direction. The inner diameter of the retaining ring is smaller than the outer diameter of the convex ring, the inner diameter of the trough structure is smaller than the outer diameter of the second limiting part, the retaining ring is pushed by the convex ring to expand outwards in the process of buckling the retaining ring in the groove and shrink inwards to buckle in the groove after crossing the convex ring, and the trough structure is pushed by the second guiding structure to expand outwards in the process of crossing the second guiding structure and shrink inwards to lean against the second limiting part after crossing the second guiding structure.

In some embodiments, the structures of the second limiting portion, the second guiding structure, and the second docking portion are the same as the structures of the first limiting portion, the first guiding structure, and the first docking portion, respectively.

The embodiment of the application also provides a suspension system which comprises the shock absorber.

The embodiment of the application also provides an automobile comprising the shock absorber.

In this application embodiment, the dust cover combines each other through first butt joint portion and the first spacing portion of last supporting seat to and combine each other through the second spacing portion on second butt joint portion and the end cover, make the dust cover sealable cup joint in last supporting seat and end cover, let the piston cylinder can receive complete cladding, and be difficult for the slippage in the motion process of piston cylinder, can prevent effectively that external pollutants such as silt or dust from entering into piston cylinder or oil blanket, extension oil blanket and shock absorber's life.

Drawings

The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the application and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this application, illustrate embodiments of the application and together with the description serve to explain the application and do not constitute an undue limitation to the application. In the drawings:

fig. 1 is an external view schematically showing a shock absorber according to an embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 2 is an exploded schematic view of an end cap and dust cap of an embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a shock absorber according to an embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 4 is an assembly schematic diagram of the upper support base and the dust cover according to the embodiment of the application.

Fig. 5 is a partially enlarged schematic view of the portion a in fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is an assembled schematic view of an end cap and dust cap of an embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 7 is a partially enlarged view of the portion B of fig. 4.

Fig. 8 is an exploded view of a shock absorber according to another embodiment of the present application.

Detailed Description

For the purposes, technical solutions and advantages of the present application, the technical solutions of the present application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to specific embodiments of the present application and corresponding drawings. It will be apparent that the described embodiments are only some, but not all, of the embodiments of the present application. All other embodiments, which can be made by one of ordinary skill in the art without undue burden from the present disclosure, are within the scope of the present disclosure.

It should also be noted that the terms "comprises," "comprising," or any other variation thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements does not include only those elements but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus. Without further limitation, an element defined by the phrase "comprising one … …" does not exclude the presence of other like elements in a process, method, article or apparatus that comprises the element.

Referring to fig. 1 to 7, a shock absorber 1 provided in an embodiment of the present application is suitable for a suspension system of an automobile, and the shock absorber 1 includes an upper support base 10, a piston cylinder 20, an end cap 30, and a dust cover 40.

The upper supporting frame 10 comprises a bracket 11, a seat body 12 and a first limiting part 13. The bracket 11 is disposed on top of the base 12 for being assembled on a shock tower of the suspension system. The bottom of the base 12 is concavely provided with a containing space, and the inner circumferential surface of the containing space is circumferentially provided with an engaging portion 120. The first limiting portion 13 is disposed at the bottom of the base 12, i.e. a side of the base 12 away from the bracket 11. The first limiting portion 13 includes a convex ring 131 and a groove 132 surrounding the outer peripheral surface of the base 12, where the groove 132 is connected above the convex ring 131 and is recessed in the outer peripheral surface of the base 12, so that the convex ring 131 and the groove 132 form a continuous convex structure and a continuous concave structure on the outer peripheral surface of the base 12.

The piston cylinder 20 comprises a piston rod 21 and a cylinder body 22, one end of the piston rod 21 is assembled on the upper supporting seat 10, and the other end of the piston rod 21 is movably arranged in the cylinder body 22, so that the piston rod 21 and the cylinder body 22 can relatively reciprocate.

The end cover 30 is in a cup-shaped structure with hollowed-out interior, is sleeved on the piston rod 21, and is sleeved and fixed on the cylinder 22. An oil seal 301 is provided between the top of the end cap 30 and the piston rod 21, and when the piston rod 21 reciprocates, the oil seal 301 prevents liquid or gas in the cylinder 22 from leaking out, while preventing external contamination from entering the cylinder 22 and reducing friction during actuation.

Meanwhile, a predetermined distance is provided between the top of the end cap 30 and the housing 12, and the buffer block 50 is accommodated between the upper support frame 10 and the piston rod 20. The top of the buffer block 50 is engaged with the engaging portion 120 of the base 12, and the bottom of the buffer block 50 extends toward the end cover 30. Wherein, the side of the end cap 30 is provided with a second limiting part 31. For example, one second limiting portion 31 is disposed around a side adjacent to the bottom of the end cap 30, or a plurality of second limiting portions 31 are disposed at intervals along the circumferential direction.

As shown in fig. 1, in the present embodiment, a plurality of second limiting portions 31 are provided on the side surface of the end cover 30, and the second limiting portions 31 are arranged at intervals along the circumferential direction of the end cover 30 and protrude from the side surface of the end cover 30 in the radial direction of the cylinder body. The height of the second limiting portion 31 on the side surface is gradually increased outwards along the second direction Z2 to form a barb shape, so that the top surface of the second limiting portion 31 is inclined from one side close to the side surface of the end cover 30 to one side far away from the side surface to form a second guiding structure 62.

The dust cover 40 is made of elastic material (e.g. rubber material) and has a hollow bellows shape, so that the dust cover 40 has an elastic force capable of automatically recovering after being deformed by compression, and can expand and contract in the radial direction and stretch or contract in the axial direction. In the present embodiment, there is a first direction Z1 directed upward and a second direction Z2 directed downward in the axial direction of the dust cover 40, and a first abutting portion 41 and a second abutting portion 42 are provided around the upper and lower ends of the dust cover 40, respectively. The first abutting portion 41 is sleeved on the upper supporting seat 10 along a first direction Z1, the second abutting portion 42 is sleeved on the end cover 30 along a second direction Z2 opposite to the first direction Z1, and the tail end of the first abutting portion 41 extends outwards to form a first guiding structure 61.

The first docking portion 41 includes a first port 411, a collar 412, and a grommet 413. The collar 412 is disposed at one side of the first port 411, and the retaining ring 413 is connected between the first port 411 and the collar 411. The first guiding structure 61 is disposed in the first port 411 in a surrounding manner and gradually expands from bottom to top along the first direction Z1, so as to form a slope inclined from the inner wall surface to the outer wall surface of the dust cover 40. In the present embodiment, the caliber of the first port 411 is slightly larger than the outer diameter of the collar 131, so as to facilitate assembly, and the collar 412 and the collar 131, and the groove 132 and the retaining ring 413 are all concave-convex structures capable of being matched with each other. Therefore, when the dust cover 40 is sleeved on the first limiting portion 13 along the first direction Z1 through the first port 411, the collar 412 can be sleeved on the convex ring 131, and the retaining ring 413 can be buckled in the groove 132, so that the first abutting portion 41 is sleeved on the supporting seat 10 and blocked by the convex ring 131 to prevent the dust cover 40 from being separated along the second direction Z2.

Therefore, in the assembly between the dust cover 40 and the upper support base 10 (as shown in fig. 4 and 5), the first guiding structure 61 contacts the bottom side of the convex ring 131, slides to the top side of the convex ring 131 along the first direction Z1, drives the retaining ring 413 to pass over the convex ring 131 through the guiding action of the inclined plane and is correspondingly buckled in the groove 132, and simultaneously makes the collar 412 smoothly fit on the convex ring 131, so as to firmly sleeve the first abutting portion 41 of the dust cover 40 on the upper support base 10. By way of illustration, the collar 412 and the convex ring 131 are engaged with each other, and the snap ring 413 and the groove 132 are engaged with each other, so that two fastening structures are formed between the dust cover 40 and the upper support base 10, and a more stable sleeving effect is achieved compared with a single fastening structure.

The second abutting portion 42 includes a second port 421, a peak structure 422 and a trough structure 423, wherein the trough structure 423 is connected between the second port 421 and the peak structure 422, and the peak structure 422 protrudes along a radial direction of the dust cover 40, and a concave-convex structure matching with an appearance of the second limiting portion 31 is formed on the dust cover 40. Therefore, in the assembly between the dust cap 40 and the end cap 30 (as shown in fig. 6 and 7), the second port 421 is sleeved on the second limiting portion 31 along the second direction Z2, so that the trough structure 423 passes over the second guiding structure 62 under the guiding action of the second guiding structure 62 and abuts against the second limiting portion 31 along the first direction Z1, and the peak structure 422 contacts the second guiding structure 62. The mutual engagement between the trough structure 423 and the second limiting portion 31 can prevent the dust cover 40 from being separated along the first direction Z2, so as to firmly fix the second abutting portion 41 on the end cover 30.

It should be noted that, in the present embodiment, the inner diameter of the retaining ring 413 is smaller than the outer diameter of the convex ring 131, and the inner diameter of the trough structure 423 is smaller than the outer diameter of the second limiting portion 31. Therefore, in the process that the retaining ring 413 is driven to be fastened to the groove 132, the elastic force of the dust cover 40 itself can make the retaining ring 413 be pushed by the convex ring 131 to expand outwards, and after passing over the convex ring 131, the retaining ring is elastically contracted inwards to be fastened in the groove 132; similarly, the trough structure 423 is guided by the second guiding structure 62 in the form of a slope, pushes against and expands outwards, and after passing over the second guiding structure 62, contracts elastically inwards to abut against and be limited by the second limit part 31 in the form of a barb.

Based on the above, the present embodiment of the present disclosure can make the dust cover 40 quickly cover the first limiting portion 13 through the first port 411 during assembly through the guiding action of the first guiding structure 61, so that the collar 412 is combined on the convex ring 131 in a homeotropic manner, and the dust cover 40 is connected with the upper supporting seat 10. In the second guiding structure 62, the trough structure 423 of the second abutting portion 42 can be engaged with the second limiting portion 31 beyond the second guiding structure 62 by the guiding action of the inclined structure, so as to connect the dust cover 40 and the end cover 30. Therefore, the dust cover 40 can achieve sealing effect after being sleeved on the upper supporting seat 10 and the end cover 30, the piston cylinder 20 and the end cover 30 are completely covered in the dust cover 40, and external silt, dust or other pollutants are prevented from entering the piston cylinder 20 or the oil seal 301, so that the oil seal opening is kept clean, and the service lives of the oil seal 301 and the shock absorber 1 are prolonged.

In addition, the first guide structure 61 and the second guide structure 62 are mainly used for guiding the sleeve connection of the dust cover 40, so the installation position is not limited to the type of the above embodiment, for example: the setting position of the first guiding structure 61 may be changed from the first abutting portion 41 to the first limiting portion 13, and the setting position of the second guiding structure 62 may be changed from the second limiting portion 31 to the second abutting portion 42, and the first guiding structure 61 and the second guiding structure 62 are not limited to the guiding of the inclined plane, and may achieve the guiding purpose through an arc surface structure or other suitable structures.

It is understood that in other embodiments of the present application, the first limiting portion 13 may be provided with only the convex ring 131 without the groove 132. In contrast, the first guiding structure 61 of the first abutting portion 41 may be directly connected to the collar 412, and the arrangement of the retaining ring 413 is omitted, so that the dust cover 40 is combined with the upper supporting seat 10, and the dust cover is achieved by mutually sleeving the collar 412 and the convex ring 131, so that external pollution, silt or dust can be effectively prevented from entering the piston cylinder 20 or the oil seal 301.

Referring to fig. 8, a shock absorber 1 according to another embodiment of the present application includes an upper support base 10, a piston cylinder 20, an end cap 30 'and a dust cover 40'. The upper support frame 10 includes a base 12 and a first limiting portion 13. The first limiting portion 13 is disposed at the bottom of the base 12, and has a convex ring 131 and a groove 132 surrounding the outer peripheral surface of the base 12, where the groove 132 is connected above the convex ring 131 and is recessed in the outer peripheral surface of the base 12. The piston cylinder 20 includes a piston rod 21 and a cylinder body 22, one end of the piston rod 21 is assembled to the upper support base 10, and the other end is disposed in the cylinder body 22.

The end cover 30 is sleeved on the piston rod 21 and fixed on the top of the cylinder 22, and the bottom of the end cover 30 'is provided with a second limiting part 31'. The opposite ends of the dust cap 40' are provided with a first docking portion 41' and a second docking portion 42', respectively. The first abutting portion 41' is sleeved on the upper supporting seat 10 along the first direction Z1, the tail end of the first abutting portion 41' extends outwards to form a first guiding structure 61', and the second abutting portion 42' is sleeved on the end cover 30' along the second direction Z2. The first docking portion 41' includes a first port 411', a collar 412' disposed at one side of the first port 411', and a clasp 413' that may correspond to the groove 132. The first guide structure 61' is inclined from the inner wall surface to the outer wall surface of the dust cover 40 along the first direction Z1, so that the first guide structure 61' forms an inclined surface on the dust cover 40 that is formed around the inside of the first port 411' and gradually expands outward.

The collar 412', the convex ring 131, the retaining ring 413' and the groove 132 are all concave-convex structures capable of being matched with each other, when the first port 411' is sleeved on the first limiting portion 13 along the first direction Z1, the collar 412' and the convex ring 131 are sleeved with each other, the retaining ring 413' is buckled in the groove 132, so that the first abutting portion 41' is sleeved on the supporting seat 10, and is blocked by the convex ring 131 to prevent the dust cover 40' from being separated along the second direction Z2. In the combination of the first abutting portion 41 'and the first limiting portion 13, the inclined surface of the first guiding structure 61' contacts the bottom side of the convex ring 131, slides to the top side of the convex ring 131 along the first direction Z1, and the collar 412 'is sleeved on the convex ring 131, and drives the retaining ring 413' to be buckled in the groove 132, so that the first abutting portion 41 'of the dust cover 40' is sleeved on the upper supporting seat 10.

In the present embodiment, the coupling between the dust cover 40' and the end cap 30' may be the same as the coupling between the dust cover 40' and the upper support base 10. That is, the second limiting portion 31' and the second abutting portion 42' have the same structure as the first limiting portion 13 and the first abutting portion 41', respectively. The second limiting portion 31' includes a convex ring 311' and a groove 312' circumferentially disposed on the outer peripheral surface of the end cap. The second docking portion 42' extends outwardly from the end to form a second guide structure 62', and the second docking portion 42' includes a second port 421', a collar 422' and a retaining ring 423' disposed on one side of the second port 421 '. The second guiding structure 62' is inclined from the inner wall surface to the outer wall surface of the dust cover 40 along the second direction Z2, so that an inclined surface which is formed on the second guiding structure 62' and surrounds the second port 421' and gradually expands outwards. When the second port 421 'is sleeved on the second limiting portion 31' along the second direction Z2, the collar 423 'and the convex ring 311' are sleeved with each other. The retaining ring 423' is buckled in the groove 312', so that the second abutting portion 42 is sleeved on the end cover 30', and is blocked by the convex ring 311' to prevent the dust cover 40' from being separated along the first direction Z1.

Since the second docking portion 42 'is sleeved in the same way as the first docking portion 41', only the direction is different. Therefore, when the second guiding structure 62 'slides to the bottom side of the convex ring 311' along the second direction Z2 to sleeve the collar 422 'on the convex ring 311', the retaining ring 423 'is driven to correspond to the groove 312', so that the retaining ring 423 'is buckled in the groove 312'. The sleeve of the collar 422' and the convex ring 311' and the buckling of the retaining ring 423' and the groove 312' can ensure that the dust cover 40 and the end cover 30' achieve a stable double sleeve effect.

It should be understood that, in other embodiments of the present application, the first limiting portion 13 may be provided with only the collar 131 without the groove 132, the first abutting portion 41 'is provided with only the collar 412' without the retaining ring 413', and the structures of the second limiting portion 31' and the second abutting portion 42 'are the same as those of the first limiting portion 13 and the first abutting portion 41', respectively, so that the dust cover 40 is connected with the upper supporting seat 10 only by the collar 412, 422 'and the collar 131, 311', and the external silt, dust or other pollutants can be effectively prevented from entering the piston cylinder 20 or the oil seal 301.

It can be seen from the above description that the embodiment of the application utilizes the sealed dust cover design, can keep sealing up and down in the motion process of the piston cylinder, effectively prevents foreign matters such as silt from entering the interior, and solves the problems that the traditional lower end opening type dust cover easily causes internal pollution to cause oil leakage or service life reduction of the shock absorber.

The foregoing is merely exemplary of the present application and is not intended to limit the present application. Various modifications and changes may be made to the present application by those skilled in the art. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc. which are within the spirit and principles of the present application are intended to be included within the scope of the claims of the present application.

Claims (10)

1. A shock absorber, comprising:

the upper supporting seat is provided with a first limiting part;

the piston cylinder comprises a piston rod and a cylinder body, one end of the piston rod is connected with the upper supporting seat, and the other end of the piston rod is movably arranged in the cylinder body;

the end cover is sleeved on the piston rod and fixed on the cylinder body, and is provided with a second limiting part; and

the dustproof cover comprises a first butt joint part and a second butt joint part, the first butt joint part is sleeved on the upper supporting seat along a first direction and blocked by the first limiting part along a second direction, and the second butt joint part is sleeved on the end cover along the second direction and blocked by the second limiting part along the first direction;

wherein, one of the first butt joint part and the first limit part is provided with a first guiding structure for guiding the first butt joint part to be sleeved on the upper supporting seat; one of the second butt joint part and the second limiting part is provided with a second guiding structure for guiding the second butt joint part to be sleeved on the end cover, and the first direction is opposite to the second direction.

2. The shock absorber of claim 1, wherein the upper support base comprises a bracket and a base body, the bracket is arranged at the top of the base body, the first limiting part is arranged around the outer peripheral surface of the base body, and the first abutting part is sleeved on the base body.

3. The shock absorber of claim 2, wherein the first limiting portion comprises a convex ring surrounding the outer circumferential surface, the first abutting portion comprises a first port and a collar arranged at one side of the first port, the collar and the convex ring are of matched concave-convex structures, wherein the caliber of the first port is larger than the outer diameter of the convex ring, the first guiding structure is surrounding the first port, and is inclined from the inner wall surface of the dust cover to the outer wall surface along the first direction so as to contact one side of the convex ring and slide to the other side of the convex ring along the first direction, and the collar is guided to be sleeved on the convex ring.

4. The shock absorber of claim 3, wherein the first limiting portion further comprises a groove surrounding the outer peripheral surface, and the first abutting portion further comprises a retaining ring, wherein the retaining ring is connected between the collar and the first guiding structure, and when the first guiding structure slides to the other side of the convex ring, the retaining ring is driven to be buckled in the groove.

5. The shock absorber of claim 4, wherein the second limiting portion is disposed on a side surface of the end cover, and a top surface of the second limiting portion is inclined along the second direction from a side close to the side surface to a side far away from the side surface, so as to form the second guiding structure, so as to guide the second abutting portion to be buckled with the second limiting portion, wherein the second abutting portion comprises a second port, and a peak structure and a trough structure which are connected, the second port is sleeved with the end cover, the peak structure is contacted with the second guiding structure, and the trough structure passes over the second guiding structure and abuts against the second limiting portion in the first direction.

6. The shock absorber of claim 5, wherein the number of said second limiting portions is plural and is disposed on said side surface at intervals in a circumferential direction of said end cap.

7. The shock absorber of claim 5, wherein said dust cap is comprised of an elastomeric material and is radially expandable and contractible and axially expandable and compressible, wherein an inner diameter of said retaining ring is smaller than an outer diameter of said collar and an inner diameter of said trough structure is smaller than an outer diameter of said second retainer, said retaining ring being urged outwardly by said collar and inwardly contractible to snap into said groove upon passing over said collar and being urged outwardly by said second guide structure to expand outwardly upon passing over said second guide structure and inwardly contractible to abut said second retainer upon passing over said second guide structure.

8. A shock absorber according to claim 3, wherein the second spacing portion, the second guide structure and the second abutment portion are of the same construction as the first spacing portion, the first guide structure and the first abutment portion, respectively.

9. A suspension system comprising a shock absorber as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. An automobile comprising the shock absorber as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8.

Images