A vibration damper for use particularly on wheeled vehicles. The damper has a cylinder formed to receive damping fluid and a working piston axially moveable therein, which piston is arranged on a piston rod formed with an axial passage and which divides the inner space of the cylinder into first and second working spaces. The vibration damper has a fluid communication axial passage for a fluid flow from the second working space to the first working space, and has a first adjustment device for adjusting the pressure stage damping and a second adjustment device for adjusting the traction stage damping. The first adjustment device has adjustable valve devices to change throughflow openings for the pressure stage, and the second adjustment device has a setting rod arranged in the axial passage of the piston rod for changing a first throughflow opening of a third valve device for the traction stage.

A shock absorber includes a bearing unit having a bearing and a bearing holding member, and a seal unit having a seal member and a seal holding member. The seal holding member includes a seal accommodating portion being configured to accommodate the seal member, and an insertion hole through which a piston rod is inserted. The seal member is pressed against an outer circumferential surface of the piston rod and the seal accommodating portion by working-fluid pressure in the extension-side chamber. And the bearing is provided such that a first end surface of the bearing facing the seal member matches an aperture plane of a through hole of the bearing holding member or such that the first end surface of the bearing projects out from the aperture plane of the through hole.

The present invention relates to a support damping apparatus and a vehicle using the support damping apparatus. The support damping apparatus includes a support spring, a force measuring element and a damper. The damper includes a hydraulic cylinder, a valve assembly and a control assembly. The force measuring element measures a support force value of the support damping apparatus for a supported object, and compares the support force value with a target force value. The damping force value of the damper is controlled by the control assembly in a mechanical, hydraulic or electric manner according to a comparison result so as to adjust the support force value of the support damping apparatus, so that the support force value of the support damping apparatus is equal to or approximate to the target force value. The present invention also relates to a vehicle with the support damping apparatus.

A method of manufacturing a shock absorber includes inserting a floating piston into a tube, disposing oil into the tube, and inserting a piston-rod assembly into the tube. The piston-rod assembly has a piston coupled to a rod. The method includes inserting a rod guide assembly into the tube. The rod guide assembly includes a sintered metal rod guide having a seat and a seal disposed in the seat. The rod extends through the seal. The method also includes deforming a wall of the tube into engagement with the sintered metal rod guide to provide a piston-cylinder assembly and inhibit axial movement of the rod guide assembly relative to the tube. The method further includes pressurizing the piston-cylinder assembly and forming a flange portion of the tube over an upper surface of the sintered metal rod guide.

A rod guide assembly for a shock absorber includes a sintered metal rod guide and a seal. The sintered metal rod guide has a seat. The seal is disposed in the seat and secured to the sintered metal rod guide with a plurality of stake holds.

A method for monitoring a dual-stage, stroke activated, mixed fluid gas shock strut includes receiving, by a controller, primary chamber temperature and pressure sensor readings, secondary chamber pressure and temperature sensor readings, and a shock strut stroke sensor reading, calculating, by the controller, a compression factor, determining, by the controller, a plurality of compression factors for known oil volumes based on the primary chamber temperature sensor reading and/or the shock strut stroke sensor reading, and calculating, by the controller, an oil volume in a primary chamber of the shock strut, a number of moles of gas in the primary chamber of the shock strut, a volume of gas in a secondary chamber of the shock strut, and a number of moles of gas in the secondary chamber.

A method of manufacturing a gas cylinder according to an embodiment of the present invention may include applying a sealant to at least a portion of inner surface of a hollow spindle; inserting a cylinder assembly contacting the inner surface of the spindle through an inlet of the spindle and forming a sealant film on an inner surface of the spindle by frictionally applying the sealant to the inner surface of the spindle; and hardening the sealant film to form a cured film cylinder in contact with the inner surface of the spindle.

A valve assembly for a damper is provided. The valve assembly includes a housing defining a fluid cavity. The valve assembly includes a spool valve movably disposed within the housing. Further, the valve assembly includes a bumper disposed between the housing and the spool valve. At least the bumper, the spool valve and the housing together define an enclosed volume. The valve assembly further includes one or more bleed paths defined on at least one of the bumper, the spool valve and the housing, the one or more bleed paths fluidly communicating the fluid cavity with the enclosed volume.

A method for controlling vehicle motion is described. The method includes accessing a set of control signals including a measured vehicle speed value associated with a movement of a vehicle. A control signal associated with user-induced input is also accessed. The method compares the measured vehicle speed value with a predetermined vehicle speed threshold value to achieve a speed value threshold approach status, and then compares the set of values to achieve a user-induced input threshold value approach status. The method monitors a state of a valve within the vehicle suspension damper, and determines a control mode for the vehicle suspension damper. The method also regulates damping forces within the vehicle suspension damper.

Example bicycle suspension components are described herein. An example damper for a bicycle suspension component includes a damper body and a damper member disposed in the damper body to control a flow of fluid between a first chamber and a second chamber in the damper body. The damper member includes a damper member body and a flow member movable relative to the damper member body along an axis of movement. The damper member body has a set of radial openings distributed circumferentially around the damper member body. The radial openings define flow paths that are transverse to the axis of movement. The flow member is movable between a first position in which the radial openings are unblocked and a second position in which the radial openings are blocked.