How Shock Absorbers Work

The shock absorber is used to reduce shock from the road when the spring bounces back after absorbing the shock. Shock absorbers are widely used in the automotive industry, which can reduce the vibration of the acceleration frame and the body, thereby improving driving comfort. When the road section of the car is relatively rough, the shock absorber can be used to control the jumping of the spring to reduce the shaking of the body.

In a suspension system, elastic elements are impacted to generate vibrations. The shock absorber is installed in parallel with the elastic element in the suspension to improve the driving comfort of the car and reduce vibration. The shock absorber used in the suspension system of the car is mainly hydraulic damping.

Shock absorbers work on the principle that when the frame (or body) and axle are vibrated, the piston in the shock moves up and down, and the oil in the shock chamber repeatedly passes through different chambers. In this way, the vibration energy of the vehicle is converted into oil heat, and the friction between the hole wall and the oil and the internal friction between the oil molecules form a damping force on the vibration, which is then absorbed by the shock absorber and discharged into the atmosphere. When the oil passage cross section and other factors are held constant, the damping force increases or decreases with the relative speed of motion between the frame and the axle (or wheel) and is related to the oil viscosity.

The shock absorber and the elastic element have the function of shock absorption. The magnitude of the damping force affects the elasticity of the suspension and can even damage the shock absorber connectors. Therefore, it is also very important to adjust the relationship between the elastic element and the shock absorber.

(1) In the compression stroke (the axle and the frame are close to each other), the damping force of the shock absorber is small, so that the elastic effect of the elastic element is fully exerted and the impact is reduced. At this time, the elastic element plays a major role.

(2) During the extension stroke of the suspension (the axle and the frame are away from each other), the damping force of the shock absorber should be large, and the shock should be absorbed quickly.

(3) When the relative speed between the shaft (or wheel) and the shaft is too large, the shock absorber is required to automatically increase the fluid flow, so that the damping force is always kept within a certain limit to avoid excessive impact load.