A shock absorber comprising a generally tubular body defining a working chamber. A piston is slidable in the working chamber and separates a compression chamber from a rebound chamber of the working chamber. The working chamber contains damping fluid. The shock absorber comprises an electric generator fitted thereto. The generator comprises a turbine rotatably coupled to at least one magnet and coils adjacent the magnet. The shock absorber comprising a turbine flow path between the compression chamber and the rebound chamber, the turbine being supported for rotation in the turbine flow path driven to rotate by flow of damping fluid. Preferably the turbine flow path comprises a compression flow path and a rebound flow path and a turbine chamber, the compression flow path providing for flow of damping fluid from the compression chamber though the turbine chamber to the rebound chamber. One way valves are positioned in the compression and rebound flow paths so that flow only occurs in a respective flow path during compression and rebound of the piston. Movement of said damping fluid though either of said compression flow path or said rebound flow path causes the turbine to rotate in only one rotary direction to thereby generate an electric current in said at least one coil.

Some examples of rotating shaft damping with electro-rheological fluid can be implemented as a method. At least a portion of a circumferential surface area of a portion of a rotorcraft rotating shaft is surrounded with multiple hollow members. Each hollow member includes an electro-rheological fluid having a viscosity that changes based on an electric field applied to the electro-rheological fluid. A vibration of the rotorcraft rotating shaft is controlled by changing the viscosity of the electro-rheological fluid in response to the electric field applied to the electro-rheological fluid.

There is provided an air spring for supporting a load, the air spring comprises a chamber for holding a pressurized gas in use, a load-bearing surface arranged to transmit a force from a load in use to the pressurized gas held in the chamber. Importantly, in order to lower the spring rate, the chamber contains a mass of adsorptive material. There is also provided a use of an adsorptive material for the purpose of lowering the spring rate of an air spring, including a gas strut and a pneumatic wheel. There is also provided a method of designing an air spring using an adsorptive material to lower the spring rate.

The invention relates to a method and an apparatus for receiving cylindrical bodies. In the method according to the invention, the receiving utilizes tight, self-restoring pressure elements, in which by adjusting the inflow and/or outflow of compressed air, the motion speed of the cylindrical body is decelerated. The apparatus according to the invention includes a pressure element within the elastic and tight material of which is installed self-restoring porous material. Furthermore, the invention relates to the use of the method and the apparatus for receiving a cylindrical body.

A shear thickening fluid having a controlled stress response, in which various stress response characteristics, including, an onset stress, a boundary stress and a fractures stress, can be controlled. The stress response characteristics controlled by the controlled properties of the shear thickening fluid, including the viscosity of a fluid medium, the mechanical properties of the suspended particles and the mechanical properties of the fluid boundary.

In view of the above, there has been described a load compensator including one or more tension spring assemblies that are contained within a tubular housing when tension from a load is applied to the tension spring assemblies. When the load compensator includes more than one tension spring assembly, the tension spring assemblies are mechanically connected to each other in series and stacked in-line with each other in the housing. In a preferred construction, each of the tension spring assemblies includes elastomeric tension elements mounted between two disks, and the tubular housing includes a tube having threaded ends and caps that screw onto the tube.

A hydraulic control system for controlling the down force on an agricultural implement comprises a hydraulic cylinder containing a movable ram, a source of pressurized fluid coupled to the hydraulic cylinder on a first side of the ram by a first controllable valve, a fluid sump coupled to the hydraulic cylinder on the first side of the ram by a second controllable valve, and an electrical controller coupled to the valves for opening and closing the valves. The valves may be self-latching valves that remain in an open or closed position until moved to the other position in response to a signal from the controller.

A self-tightening and wear-compensating suspension mounting system is described herein. The suspension mounting system may include a housing, a hemispherical race, a hemispherical ball, an elastomeric first bushing, two opposing couplings, and a shock absorber. The housing includes two opposing cavities. The hemispherical race is mounted within a first cavity of the two opposing cavities. The hemispherical ball is slidably mounted at least partially within the hemispherical race. The elastomeric first bushing is positioned at least partially within a second cavity of the two opposing cavities. The two opposing couplings are positioned hold the hemispherical race, the hemispherical ball, and the elastomeric first bushing between the two couplings. The shock absorber shaft extends through the two opposing cavities, the hemispherical race, the hemispherical ball, and the elastomeric first bushing. The hemispherical ball pivots within the hemispherical race responsive to movement of the shock absorber.

The present invention is an air shock absorber having a multiple stage design. The design includes a first algorithm for determining the compressed and extended lengths of the air shock based on the lengths of the parts for each stage. The first algorithm offers the air shock an extended length that is greater than twice its compressed length, an optimized extended length, and a construction capability based on adding stages. In particular, the extended length-compressed length relationship is a quality inherently unobtainable by current shock absorbers. The design also includes a second algorithm for determining the spring rate. The second algorithm offers the capability to both set-up the air shock with a relatively linear spring rate and make the relatively linear spring rate more linear.

A damper (10) includes a housing (11) and a rotor (16) combined with the housing (11) so as to be capable of rotating relative to the housing (11). The damper (10) includes an attenuating medium (90) filled in a rotation area inside the housing (11) wherein the rotor (16) rotates, and added with viscoelasticity by a viscoelasticity treatment; and an enclosure portion (80) provided outside the rotation area of the rotor (16), and communicating with the rotation area.