US994546A - Vehicle shock-absorber. - Google Patents

Description

HARVEY TEBHOSBST 0l'` MILWAUKEE, WISGONSIN.

VEHICLE SHOCK-ABSORBER.

Specification of Letters Patent. l

Patented J une 6, 1911.

'Application tiled February 3, 1810. Serial No. 541,94?.

To all whom it may concerm Be it known that I, HARVEY Tnnnons'r, of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, have invented a Ve hicle Shock-Absorber, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to cushioningde vices for vehicles, to wit, that class of devices which is employed to reduce the rebound of the vehicle-.body upon a sudden compression of the body-springs due to the wheels riding over a rough place in the road. I

More particularly my invention relates to rotary dash-pots or shock-absorbers of that type wherein the body is connected with the vehicle-axle by a strap lixedly attached to one of said members and a drum about which thestrap is wound, said drum being mounted in an oscillating manneron the other member and having means for reventing its rotating suddenly in the unwinding direction and for causing it to be turned automatically in the opposite direction in order to take up any Slack inthe strap. In my invention I provide such a drum mount- .ed on a central shaft and having an internal chamber adapted to contain liquid, a rotary piston on the shaft, and an abutment mounted on the drum and coperating with the piston. I further rovide a double cover with an auxiliary c amber between, to receive any leakage through the innercover and having means for returning the same to the non-compression side of the piston.

The nature of my invention will best be understood by' a consideration of the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings illustrative thereof. n

In these drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of the complete device with the parts of the vehicle with which it is connected; Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the same; Fig. 3 is an axial section through the drum, the central shaft being shown partly in elevation, as also the plston and abutment; Fig. 1L, is a transverse section through the drum on Athecentral plane of the main chamber; and Fig. 5 is an elevation of the drum from the left as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, with the outer cover removed and the shaft shown in section.

In these drawings every reference letter and numeral refers to the same part in each Upon the body-frame N of the vehicle is mounted a base-block O, which carries projecting therefrom horizontally a stub-shat E fixed against rotation by means of a key T. Upon this stubshaft is mounted the neck-absorbing drum A, which is hallowed out internally to form a cylindrical chamber,` as shown in Figs. 3 and 4; which chamber is provided with an inner cover V and an outer cover A', both secured in place by the cap-screws M", and between which is a secondary chamber (see Figs. 3 and 5). To the outer circumference of the drum is attached a strap B by means of a plate B and screws S, in position to be wrapped thereon; the other end of said 'strap being attached in any suitable manner, as by means of clampcollars and bolts D', to the axle O of the vehicle or other appropriate element of the runn1ng-gear.

Upon the stub-shaft E within the main chamber of the drum, is a piston E' which completely fillsthe bore ofthe cylinder from the center to circumference on one side; and on the opposite side when the drum is in its normal position, is an abutment G, fixed to the drum A and cover V by means of screwdowels F, F', and also filling the entire bore of the cylinder from center to circumference. In each of these members E', G, is a passage valve, K and K', hinged at one edge and drawn yieldingly into closed position by means of a spring, H and H. These valves, as will be seen by Figs. 3 and 4, are located so as to open on the same side of the piston and abutment, to wit, into the left hand one of the two subchambcrs in Fig. 4 into which they divide the main chamber; so that when both chambers are filled with liquid, the drum is `free to move in a counterclockwise direction, in which the strap B is wound upon it, bv the opening of the valves K, K', produced y an excess of pressure in the right hand cham r; while any tendency of the drum A to turn in the opposite direction will immedmtely produce a closure of said valves and will, therefore, be checked by a lack of exit of the liqfuid from the left into the right hand chamber. To provide for the gradual yielding of the drum in such case, a passage l isbored in the abutment C, the eii'ect-ive cross-scction of which passage, and therefore the rate of yielding of the drum, may be regulated by means of a screw J, the end of which enters the end of the passage I and which can be turned from the outside. A further exitof the slack ofthe strap B upon the drum,

I provide a pair of spiral springs L, the inner ends of which are securedto the shaft E and the outer ends to suitably placed pins L on the inner cover V. These springs are confined within the auxiliary chamber of the drum, which thereby serves a double purpose, lirst, of inclosingy the springend keeping it lubricated and free fromdirt, and secondly of catching leakage of oil which escapes pastlthe inner cover, caused by the compression within the left-hand or compression-half of the main chamber (as seen in Fig. 4;). It should be understood that the auxiliary chamber is not intended to serve as a reservoir or air-chamber, but to retain the oil-leakage and return it to the right -hand or noncompression half of the vmain chamber, which is done by means of an aperture X opening into that half. Leakage varound the shaft is prevented by la gland Q,screwed into a threaded recess at the center of the cover A and inclosing a liquid-tight packing. v

As will be clear from the foregoing description to those skilled in the art, the mode of operation is briefly as follows: Vhen the vehicle-body approaches the axle due to any sudden bump or elevation in the road or the like, the springs L cause the drum A to turn so as to wind the slack of thestrap B thereon, the valves K K opening in such case automaticallyfto equalize the pressure on the two sides of the main chamber. LA

- compression of the body-springs of the vehicle is produced but the subsequent rebound which would otherwise result is checked because of the strap-connection B,

the sudden pull upon which causes an unwinding-stress upon the drum; but the valves K' K now close and the liquid is therefore compressed within the left-hand half of the cylinder, finding a gradualexit l through the passages I and IP, land thus that the latter is not otherwise limited than by the proper scope of my claims. It will be understood ofcourse that either the drum or -shaft may be made stationary and the other rotatable upon it, and that the first member may be connected to the axle andthe strap to the vehicle body instead of vlce versa as shown.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Ltters Patent is 1. The combination of al shaft, a drumv rotatably mounted thereon and having an internal cylindrical chamber, a radial abutment mounted on said drum within saidchamber, a radial piston mounted on said shaft within said chamber, an innercoverplate covering one side of said cylindrical chamber, an outer cover-plate secured over said inner cover-plate leaving between them a secondary chamber, there being a passage-y way from said secondary chamber to the low pressure side of the piston and a spring within said secondary chamber.

' v2. The combination of a shaft, a drum rotatably mounted thereon and having an internal cylindrical chamber, a lradial abutment mounted on said drum within said chamber, a radial piston mounted on said shaft within said chamber, an inner coverplate covering one side of said cylindrical chamber, an outer cover-plate secured over said inner cover-plate leaving between them a secondary. chamber, there being a passageway from said secondary chamber to the low pressure side of the pistonand a spiral `spring in said secondary chamber having one end secured to said shaft and the otherI to an element turning with said drum.

3. The combination ofa shaft, a drum rotatably mounted thereon and having an internal cylindrical chamber, a radial abutment mounted on said drum within said chamber, a radial piston mounted on said shaft within saidd chamber, an inner coverplate 'covering one's ide of said cylindrical chamber, an outerfcover secured over said inner cover-plateleaving between them a secondary chamber, and a liquid-tight pack--Vw ing between said outer cover and said shaft; there being a passageway from said secondpiston. c

4. The combination of a shaft adapted to be mounted on one part of a vehicle, an Velement rotatably mounted thereon and having an" internal cylindrical chamber, a con; nection connected at one end to said element and adapted to be connected at the ary chamber to the 'low-pressure side ofthe other end to another part of the vehicle g which is movable toward and from the first part, a radial abutment mounted on saidy ele- ,ment within said chamber and fllingthe area of the chamber on one side `of said shaft, a radial'piston mounted on said shaft within said chamber and filling thearea of the latter on one side of said shaftj there being a passage' between the two sfubchambers into which the main chamber is thus named closure-plate .having an aperture 10 divided, a valve closing said passage and therein adapted to return to the noncommaintaiued normally closed and opening in pression su'bchamber oi1\ leaking from the one di'ecton only; a closure-plztJ1 closing compression sub-chamber.

said c am er on one si e, a coi e s rin p having one end secured to said shaft anld th HARVEY TERHORST' other to said closure-plate, and a secondary Witnesses:

plate mounted over said rst-named closure- HEIN TERHoRsT,

plate and nclosing said spring; sadrst- REUBENH. GALLAHER.

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