US1013384A - Shock-absorber. - Google Patents

Description

E. FLENTJE.

SHOCK ABSORBBR.

AYPLIOATION FILED 001.29, 1909.

Patented J al1. 2, 1912.

/H///M l.

UNITED STATES,A PATENT OFFICE.

ERNST FLENTJE, 0F C'AMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS.

SHOCK-ABSORBER.

'Specicationvof Letters Patent.

Application led October 29, 1909. Serial o. 525,285. f

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, ERNST FLENTJE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cambridge, county of Middlesex, and State of .Massachusetts, have invented an Improve- -ment in Shock-Absorbers, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawing, is a specification,

like characters on the drawing representing like parts. Y

This invention relates to shock absorbers for automobiles and similar vehicles, and is in the nat-ure of an improvement-on the device shown in my Patent No. 899,662, dated September 29, 1908. The device shown in said patent comprises a cylinder adapted to contain liquid and a ported piston therein which is provided with valves to control the ports sc that `Vthe liquid in the cylinder will act to retard the movement of the piston and thus check the recoil of the spring.

In my present invention I have improved the device shown in my former patent by providing a cushion device which will check the opening movement of the valves of the ported piston and will prevent any clicking noise incident to `such opening movement.

The invention also improves hangers in other ways, all as more fully hereinafter` described and then pointed out in theappended claims.

Referring to the drawings wherein I have shown one embodiment of the invention, Figure 1 is a sectional view of my improved shock absorber taken in a vertical plane at right angles to the axis of the automobile; Fig. 2 is a sectional view vtaken in a plane at right angles to that of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the piston; Fig. 4 is a bottom plan view of the piston.

generally used, I have not deemed it necessary to illustrate the automobile and have confined the drawings to the parts of the automobile to which the shock absorber is directely attached.

3 indicates a portion of the side sill of the automobile body and 4 indicates the axle. The cylinder of the shock absorber is shown at 5, and it contains a piston 6 which is provided with two sets of ports 7 and 8, the ports 7 being larger than the ports 8. A valve 9 is employed to close the larger ports 7 when the plston moves upwardly, and this valve has secured thereto two U-shaped members 10 that pass down through the ports 7 and serve to limit the upward move-v ment of the valve, all as shown in my abovementioned patent. The cylinder 5 has secured thereto a head-11 which carries at one side an eye 12 to which the hanger connected to the axle is secured. The piston-rod 13 has secured to its upper end a collar 14 provided with a laterally-extending arm 15 which terminates in an eye 16 to which is connected the hanger that is secured to the side sill 3. These two hangers are shown at 17 -and 18 respectively, and they may be of any suitable construction, although I prefer to make them with screw-threaded stems which are screw-threaded to bracketsv 19 and 2O that are secured to the sill 3 and axle 4 respectively, all as shown in my co-pending application Se. No. 519,776, led September 27, 1909.

By `forming the eye 12 on the side of the cylinder 5, instead of on the end thereof, as in my former patent, and by making the eye 16 for the hanger 17 at the end of the laterally-extending arm 15 instead of on the end of the piston-rod, I am able to produce -a shock absorber which has the same amount of movement as that illustrated-in my former patent, but which has a considerably less over-all length. This is a decided advantage because in many automobiles the space in which a shock absorber can be located is so limited that it is diiicult to apply a shock absorber of the type shown in my former patent.

In the operation of the device as shown the lifting of the valve 9 when the piston begins to descend is comparatively rapid and 'with the construct-ion such as shown in my above-mentioned patent, the impact of the loops or U-shaped members 10 against the under side of the piston when the valve opens will make an objectionable clicking noise. In order to avoid this, I have placed springs or cushioning devices 32 around each of the U-shaped members, these cushioning devices acting to cushion the movement of -the valve and prevent any objectionable noise. V

I have hereinv shown the piston rod 13 as in the form of a tube which is open to the cylinder below the piston and which is pro- .vided with ports 21 which open into the cylinder above the piston.

y Situated within the piston-rod is a valve or plunger 22 which extends the Vlength thereof and which has' screw-threaded en- Pa'tent'ed Jan. 2,1912.

gagement with the interior of the piston-rod at its upper'end, as at 23. The end 24 of the v more freely from'the upper to the lower end valve 22 projects beyond the piston-rod and is made square so that a wrench may b e applied thereto. The v alve 22 is of such a length that by' turning it in the piston-rod, the lower end thereof will diminish or increase the size of the ports 21thus varying the resistance developed by the shock absorber. If the vspring of the automobile is a stiff one anda shock absorber having a 'considerable resistance is required, the valve 22 will be screwed down so as to nearly or entirely close the ports 21, and when the piston rises, therefore, the liquid can only pass through the ports 8. If, however, the automobile /is heavily loaded or the spring is 4'such as to require a shock absorber having a comparatively slight resistance, the valve 22 will be unscrewed to increase the area of the ports 2 1, in which case the liquid will flow ofthe cylinder and a less resistance will be developed in the shook absorber. Since the valve 22 is accessible through the top of the piston-rod and through the top; of the hanger, it will be obvlous that said valve may be easily adjusted toregulate the resistancel of the shock absorber without removing the shock absorber from the vehicle.

The piston-rod 13 passes up through a stuiing-box 25 which is provided with packing 26'a's usual. I have found that with the stufing-box as ordinarily constructed the packing. needs to be tightened every once in a while in order to 'prevent any leakage.

lThe average chauffeur, however, 1s very likely to neglectA to keep the stutling-box tight and if the/liquid leaks out, the shock absorber will not act properly. I have-provided herein a stuffing-box which will automatically keep the packing tight and pre- A vent leakage, and I accomplish this by elonating the neck of the stuiiing-box and placing therein a spring 27 which-bears on the packing. The lower coil of this spring is provided with a. tapered or 'beveled face 28, as seen best in Fig. 1,-and the upper end of the spring is secured to a a ed bushing 29 that fits within the spring an bears against the capBO vof the stuffing-box. The spring p27 acts to apply pressure continuously to the packing and the bevel face 28 acts to crowd the packing around the piston'- rod, thus veffectively preventing any leakage.

It sometimes occurs that an automobile spring` will havea violent recoilduring whichl thel .piston is drawn up to the top of the cylinder. Y In order to avoid the danger of the piston striking the top ofthe cylinder during such violent reco11 I propose to so place the ports 2l that they will be drawn into the stuiing box before the piston reaches the upper limit of its movement, as shown in Fig. 2. It will thus be seen that if there is a violent recoil and the piston moves clear to the upper end of the cylinder, the ports 21- will'be closed by entering the stuffing-box before the piston strikes the upper end of the cylinder, and thus the latter part of the movement lof' the piston will be cushioned and the piston will be prevented from striking the end of the cylinder.

I have also shown a shield or cover 34l which surroun'ds the piston-rod and extends from the cap 30 of the stufling box to the collar 14 of the upper hanger and which serves to prevent any-dust lor other foreign substance from being drawn into the stuingbox and through the stuiing-box into the cylinder by the movement-of the piston-rod. This cover or shield 34 is in the nature of a flexible tube whichis connected at one end to the cap 30 and at the other end tothe col-k lar 14. In order to connect the cover to the cap and collar I havepr'ovidedeach with an undercut annular shoulder 35 over which the `end of the cover 34 is placed and have connected the cover tothe shoulders by wires or cords 36. .A spring 437 situated within the cover and Surrounding the piston-rod prevents the cover from contacting with the piston-rod and being worn thereby.

`Having fully described my invention, what I claim -as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is N f 1. In a shock absorber, the combination with a cylinder to contain liquid, of a piston therein, said pist-on, having a plurality of ports, a valve for said ports situated above the piston, a'U-shap'ed member secured to the valve and extending through the ports beneath the piston for limiting the upward movement yof the valve, and a cushioning device on the-U-shaped member.-

2. In a shock absorber, the combination with a cylinder to contain liquid, of a piston therein, said piston having a plurality of ports, a valve for said ports situated above the piston, a .U-Shaped member secured to the valve and extending through the ports beneath the piston for limit-ing the upward movement of the valve, and a coiled spring surrounding the U-shaped member and operating to cushion its movement.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specication, in the'presence of two subscribing witnesses.

v ERNST FLENTJE.

Witnesses:

-Louis C. SMITH,

THOMAS J. DRUMMQND.

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